It's Summer In My Heart
by NYgoldfish54
Summary: Co-written with Cimmy! The Ducks do Orlando. The story's got romance, humor, music, vacation, original characters, theme parks, and other good stuff in between.
1. The Ducks Plus Four

hey everybody! Cimmy and I have decided to co-write a story! Neither of us has ever co-written before and we're excited cause it's coming along really well. It's great working with Cimmy, I really love it.  

this story is gonna have a bit of everything. there's gonna be Ducks, romance (some straight stuff, and some Bash Slash), some music, some humor, some road trip, some OC's, and some of everything in between. it's gonna be fun. 

our story is rated PG-13 right now, but it could change later, so check every once in a while if you care about these things. 

anyway, here's chapter 1. enjoy! hit the review button when you're done, for us, ok? 

Peace and Peaches,  
            Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: The Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy, and Lex, Jeff, and their band belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 1: The Ducks Plus Four  
By NYgoldfish54**

**Charlie's POV**

When Lex and Jeff said that their band from back home, Suspended Motion, had caught a break and would be playing in front of a live crowd in Orlando, Florida, I was happy for them. When they announced that they were taking the Ducks with them, I was thrilled for us.

It was sort of a weird chance the way we met Lex and Jeff. Lex and Jeff are best friends, here on a music scholarship from New York. Fred and Cecilia joined the Ducks mid-season on athletic scholarship. They're boyfriend and girlfriend, at least most of the time, and both are good at hockey. Anyway, Fred and Cecilia were in the same science class with Lex and Jeff. Fred and Lex were lab partners, as were Jeff and Cecilia. The chances are pretty small of each pair knowing the other in the other pair, but that's what happened. Jeff and Cee hit it off, talking about something weird and crazy, people with dyed nose hair or something. Lex and Fred got along too, talking about more normal things, like music and hockey.

Lex and Jeff started showing up at Duck games and practices, and Fred and Cecilia ended up spending a lot of time at some of Lex and Jeff's rehearsals. It got to a point where we couldn't figure out where Fred and Cee went, so we sent Averman on a mission to follow them. Averman tailed them to the music department where Lex and Jeff held rehearsals together. Averman recognized Lex from his English class, and reported back to us. 

"She's got a good voice, and Fred and Cecilia usually make out while she and Jeff rehearse," he told us. So naturally, the next time Fred and Cecilia disappeared, all the Ducks followed them. We wanted to remain discreet, which we were, until someone slipped on some horse shit and sent Luis crashing through the door.

Lex and Jeff looked a combination of mildly amused and surprised, but didn't seem to mind. Fred and Cee didn't even look up from where they were snogging in the corner.

"And you would be…?" asked Jeff, raising his eyebrows at us.

And we, the Ducks, deciding to be being completely honest, said, "We're the choir."

And Lex, figuring out that we were lying, said, "Right. Good try. Now who are you really?"

And it sort of went on from there. It went well. We all seemed to like each other…at least enough to get along without fist fights. The bottom line is Lex and Jeff are pretty much part of the group now. They pulled some pranks on Varsity with us, because the pranks continued even after we won the JV/Varsity showdown. They'll be spending the rest of high school with us, which I don't mind. For the most part they're good people. 

Jeff and Lex have come to Ducks parties, and we've been invited to their show in Orlando. Plus, they said everything is free. The plane ride, the hotel room, the food. All the money I'm bringing is for souvenirs. 

So here I am, in my room, packing things I'll need for the week. The plane Connie, Guy, Adam, Goldberg, Averman, Fulton, Portman, Fred, Cee, and I are taking to Orlando International Airport leaves tomorrow morning at 10. Portman isn't in Chicago cause he's spending the summer with Fulton, and Fred and Cee are spending the summer in the dorms Eden Hall lets you rent, since they don't have houses around here. So those three are coming on the same plane as those of us who do live in Minnesota. Coach Bombay…or just Bombay, now, I guess…is driving us to the airport in his van. The rest of Ducks are flying in from various parts of the country. Lex and Jeff have been down there a week with the rest of their band already, rehearsing. 

Lex called me up a few days ago, with a sore throat. "16 hours today, Charlie! We sat on that stage for 16 hours!"

"Charlie, go to sleep, it's nearly midnight," my mother says, opening the door.

"I just have to finish packing," I tell her.

"Alright…Charlie, I have to work early tomorrow, so I'm telling you now. You're to be a good, responsible young man. No drinking, hard partying, no sex, no drugs, no violence-"

"Mom, I know the drill."

"I know you do, it's just, well, you've never been so far away from home…"

"What about the Goodwill Games?" I ask her.

"You were younger and not so mischievous then. I have to worry now!"

"Mom…you're such a…such a…such a Mom!"

"Thanks, Charlie, thanks," she said, kissing me on the cheek and then turning to go into her own bedroom. "Oh, Charlie," she says, before closing my door.

"Yeah Mom?" I say, putting my last pair of socks into my bag.

"I love you, and have fun in Orlando, ok?"

"I will Mom. I love you, too."

This is definitely going to be a good time. I plan on not doing everything my mother said. I sound like an idiot, but I don't want to hurt my mom…I won't do anything irresponsible by myself, but I can't speak for what I do with my team. I get dragged down into the pit of irresponsibleness when I'm around them. Responsibility isn't really one of our strong points.


	2. What If

hey all, here's chapter 2! hit the review button when you're finished, ok?

disclaimer: The Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, and their band belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 2: What If  
By Cimmy**

**Fulton****'s POV **

It's going to be a long plane ride, I just know it. 

We hadn't even gotten to the waiting area yet, when Adam and Charlie went into another insane row. They are so childish. 

Adam dashed off with the words 'God, you're dumb'. That guy and his comebacks. It's sad. 

"We have to get him!" Connie kept wailing, while Guy tried his best to get Charlie to calm down. 

Portman did his best too, with trying to push Cecilia onto the conveyer belt. Luckily, Goldberg grabbed her before she ended up on the plane to Anchorage as luggage. 

Now we're on the plane, being bored. Boredom makes several people hyper. 

I lean back in my seat and thank God that I was placed next to Connie. She fell asleep the second the plane took off. 

The rest of the looney toons did not. 

I don't know why, but somehow it irritates me that Portman rather makes hell, then hang out with me.

He stayed with me after school ended. Maybe we spent TOO much time together? We might've grown tired of each other already. 

I watch as Portman grabs Cecilia and pushes her across the aisle. He treats her like his own, personal yo-yo sometimes, probably because she's so small that no matter how much she tries to get away, she just doesn't have the strength to do it. Sometimes I think she'd suit better as a tennis-player or something, rather then a hockey-player. She does have the ball-experience, that's for sure.

Oh, that sounded nasty. 

Guy whines from the seat behind me. "Are we there yet?" he groans and kick Averman's leg.

"Cut it out, man!" Averman shouts back. When Guy kicks once more, in complete contempt, Averman gets up from his seat and back away towards Charlie. Probably to rat on Guy. 

Instead he walks right into the stewardess, who's slowly backing her way along the aisle with the food-cart. 

Sausages go flying everywhere and Charlie gets most of the gravy on his clothes. He gives up a piercing yell, flies up from his seat and starts to jump up and down. Man that must've been hot.

At least he spared us the food. I hate airplane-food. 

Connie, who's wide awake now, takes a leap over me and hurries over to help Charlie. I can't help but laugh when Charlie continues with the screaming, completely convinced that he's a burn-victim.

"It's not funny!" he bellows at Adam and me. "It's hot!" 

I shrug and try to keep the laughter under my breath. Adam does not. 

I see Portman lean over the seat on the other side of the plane. He's grinning and laughing, just like the rest of us. Poor Charlie. 

Suddenly he turns to look at me, and smiles. Not the grinning smile he had on before. That smile he gives me sometimes, just to show me that he knows I'm alive. 

And once more I wonder. 

What if the others know too...? 

***

**Adam's POV **

Finally, we're off the plane. What a pain. 

Charlie is still pissed that I laughed when he was supposedly 'in a lot of pain'. It's just gravy, for crying out loud! Not lava! 

"This is so cool! I've never been here before," Connie cheers. "Look, there's a sign that says 'Disney World'!" 

Jeez, calm down. She's giving me a headache. 

"As far as I'm concerned..." Averman begins, but is cut off by a piercing yell, not unlike Charlie's feminine scream earlier. 

"There you are!" Lex shouts and waves at us. She's standing on a bench so we can see her better. Or to get attention, I don't know. She jumps up and down a few more times, until she decides to come and meet us. People watch as she's skipping towards us. 

"What took you so long?" Charlie grins, trying to cover up his bruised ego. 

"What happened to your clothes?" Lex replies with a smile. "Don't they serve the food on plates anymore? What's that? Gravy?" 

Portman puts an arm around her shoulder and pulls her away from Charlie, who's looking furious again. Then Charlie gives me a raged look. What did I do? 

Guy and Connie follow us towards the exit sign. Guy is complaining as usual, while Connie tries not to kill him. 

Portman keeps talking to Lex, while giving Fulton odd looks. And I, I can't do much else then to keep with the program and follow them wherever they go. 

Suddenly Portman disappears. Lex finds Jeff outside the store, which sells candy. Or the candy-store, whatever. 

"I thought you wouldn't come back to get me," Jeff says with his mouth full of Twix. "Hi, everyone."

We all say hi, some of us with much more enthusiasm then others. Hint: Charlie. 

Fred shoves my arm. "Where's Cecilia?" 

"Where's Portman?" I reply. 

Fred shrugs and looks around. Then he says hi to Jeff again. It's weird. Sometimes I get the feeling that they should trade lives. Lex and Fred have much more in common then Cecilia and Fred have. They're both rich, had a messy childhood, and they both have a parent problem.

On the other hand, Jeff and Cecilia have lots in common too. In a more strange, weird sort of way…like they enjoy talking about dyed nose hair. 

"That was the plane ride from hell!" Guy mutters when we continue the walking. Everything is 'from hell' according to him. If he doesn't like something, it's 'from hell'. 

"Connie, tell him to shut up," Charlie begs. 

"Shut up," Connie says, mostly to herself. 

Charlie turns around and sighs loudly. "Seriously, where are those two idiots?" 

There's a scream coming from behind us, followed by a splash. I don't even have to look to know what's just happened. 

Guy starts to laugh. "She needed to cool off," he grins, and even though the joke wasn't funny, I laugh too. 

Portman just shoved Cecilia into the fountain by the stairs. I look down at her. She's surrounded by fishes, probably wondering what the hell she's doing in their pool. 

I think Portman's main ambition is to kill Cecilia on this trip. He must really dislike her.


	3. Home Away From Home

here's chapter 3, hit the review button when you're finished. 

disclaimer: The Ducks belong to Disney. We aren't making any money off them, so please don't sue! Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, and their band belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 3: Home Away From Home  
By NYgoldfish54**

**Goldberg's POV**

"Where are we going?" I ask as Lex and Jeff lead us all into the airport's garage some five hours later. 

Cecilia had screamed at Portman a good 10 minutes after Fred pulled her out of the fountain. It was pretty amusing. She can be quite scary for a small person. We still had to wait for Julie, Russ, Luis, Kenny, and Dwayne. Russ and Kenny showed up at the same time and only about 20 minutes after we did. It turns out they took the same flight out of San Francisco because Russ had been hanging with Kenny at his place. 

"Hi y'all!" Dwayne greeted us about an hour after Kenny and Russ arrived. Luis showed up not long after that.

It was waiting for the Cat Lady that had been the worst. Her flight was delayed out of Maine, and then delayed into Orlando. It took two and half hours longer than it should have. Needless to say I now know why there are so many book shops, other small shops, places to eat, and magazine stands at airports. It's so when you're trapped there for hours at a time you don't get the urge to kill yourself (or your loud, obnoxious, good for nothing friends) too quickly. 

"Someone is going to drive us to the hotel, but I don't see the…" Lex said, looking around.

"I don't see the what?" Luis says, his voice urging Lex to finish her sentence. 

As if to answer her question, a stretch limousine pulls up a ramp and drives our way.

"Jeff Delricci's party?" the driver asks us.

"Yes," says Jeff, stepping in front. 

"Well, I'm the one who's supposed to take you kids back to the hotel."

"There's supposed to be two cars," Jeff says to the driver.

"Oh, you didn't hear? Marty, the other driver, got sick. He's not going to be able to drive today," the driver explains to us. Jeff looks furious.

"What's your name, sir?" Lex asks in a business voice, stepping up to Jeff's side.

"Mike."

"Well, Mike, there are 17 teenagers here. One car isn't going to hold all of us," Lex says patiently.

"You can leave some people behind," the driver says to her.

"Um…no. I'm not leaving anyone behind. Either we all come in this car, or we call your competitor and tell _them_ to come get us," Lex says coolly. The driver looks angry. It's obvious to him that Lex's threat was below the belt.

"If you can all fit, I'll take you," the driver says angrily.

Lex turns to us. "Sorry guys, it's gonna be a tight squeeze…"

The word _tight_ accurately describes a virgin at a prison rodeo. It does not accurately describe 17 teenagers, 13 of which are decent to big sized guys, thrown in the back of a limo.

I'm squashed between Averman and Luis. If we were any closer, I'd be sharing bubble gum with Averman. This really sucks.

We're going over bumps and around corners and down the highways, and let me tell you, I'm getting bruises. 

"This sucks!" says Russ, voicing his opinion that I happen to share with him.

"Sorry guys, there were supposed to be _two_ cars," Jeff says angrily and throws a nasty look in the direction of the driver. He's smashed between Adam and Guy and he doesn't look happy.

"Connie, could you move a little?" asks Guy.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Connie says.

"Fred, ouch, you're hurting me!" Lex wails as we turn a corner sharply and he falls on her.

"Cecilia, stop touching me!" Charlie hollered.

I can't! Oh! Sorry Julie…"

"The hotel is really gorgeous," Lex says. "They've provided us and our guests with a real nice place. It'll get better, I promise."

We're all silent for a moment. 

Then another sharp turn sends us flying. I hear Kenny yell something like, "OUCH, DAMMIT, OUCH! ADAM YOU'RE CRUSHING MY LIVER!"

Thank God none of us get car sick. That would be a disaster, someone puking in a car this crowded.

"I don't feel so well," moaned Portman.

Great. Just great.

***

**Connie's POV**

I can't believe we're all here in Orlando! It's going to be so much fun! During the day we'll visit the theme parks and have fun and by night Guy and I will be able to spend romantic evenings, in the warm air. Except the night of Lex and Jeff's show, of course.

We're at the hotel now. It's a good thing too. A few more minutes in the car, and Portman would have lost his cookies all over Dwayne and Fulton, and it would have smelled, and it would have been a real mess. I heard Julie next to me, saying, "Please don't let him hurl, please don't let him hurl…" 

Lex wasn't kidding when she said the hotel would be better than the ride there. Walking into the red carpeted lobby, we saw there was a grand staircase leading up to our rooms. Off to the side was an elevator and what looked like a dining room. 

"Room assignments!" Lex calls, and we sort of stop staring and gather around.

"Ok, Moreau and Gaffney, room 112," Lex says, handing us our card keys. I'm rooming with Julie. What a surprise!

"Room 113, Germaine and Robertson," Lex calls next, also passing them card keys. I figured she would pass them out to everyone.

"Room 114, Banks and Conway," she calls and both Charlie and Adam groan.

"Portman and Reed, room 115."

"Mendoza and Averman, you're in room 116."

"Room 117, Wu, Tyler, and Goldberg," she calls. When they get close to her to take their card keys, she says, "Don't worry guys, it's suite, you've got an extra bed and bathroom." Russ, Goldberg, and Kenny slap hands.

"Fred and Cee, you two get room 118 so you two can do…whatever you two do at night…"

"Where are you two going to sleep?" Kenny asks Lex and Jeff.

"I'm in room 120 with Sammie and Anna, and Jeff is bunking with Matt in room 121," Lex replies.

"And Matt, Sammie, and Anna are…?" Fulton asks.

"Band members. There are two more, Chris and Anthony. You'll meet them all later," Jeff explains.

"Well, let's go put our stuff upstairs, Ducks," says Charlie.

Julie and I walk into our room, dump our stuff down, and look to explore. Two nice beds, a clock, two closets, some furniture, a TV, a radio, a mini-bar…but knowing Lex, who isn't stupid enough to leave us all with liquor in our rooms, has had juice put in it or something. 

Julie comes out of the bathroom and says, "Blow dryer, bath tub/Jacuzzi, shower, and two sinks. Yours and mine."

"What? No toilet?" I ask jokingly.

"No toilet," she says grinning, "We'll just have to pee in the woods."

I start to put my clothes away, and Julie calls me from her closet.

"Hey Connie, look at this!" 

"What?" I ask joining her through the door I had originally thought a closet. "Oh, wow."

It wasn't a closet. It was a door to a balcony. And the balcony, that has two chairs and a table, is looking over a huge pool area with three separate pools, with water slides and diving boards, and these mushroom things that have water coming out of them. There's also a hot tub.

"Score," I say to Julie.

"Yeah, definitely."

I head back inside. I can just imagine Guy and me, sitting out on the balcony, looking at the pool, making out. This trip is gonna be fun.

***

percussion: yeah, Charlie and Adam DO fight a lot. but they're dumb, horny, teenage guys, so what do you expect? *grins* it's like a constant testosterone battle.


	4. The Truth Is In There

hey all! it's chapter 4! yay! by the way, there's some mild Bash Slash in this chapter, so if you don't like it, don't read it. 

the rest of you, especially you Bash Slash lovers, read and review for me and Cimmy, ok? it's mild in this chapter, but it will get heavier later on, we promise! neither of us has really written heavy slash, so we're sort of holding off a little and practicing to make sure it's not stupid or unrealistic or unbelievable. congratulate Cimmy, she wrote the Bash Slash in this chapter!

disclaimer: The Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, and their band belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 4: The Truth Is In There  
By Cimmy **

**Guy's POV**

'Germaine, Robertson.' That's so unfair! I want to share room with Connie, but I'm stuck with Dwayne. Dwayne snores. Fred got to sleep in his girlfriend's room (or the other way around), so why shouldn't I be allowed to do the same? 

"Guy? Could I have the bed next to the window?" Dwayne asks. Unfortunately my answer comes out as a grunt. Now my whole day will be ruined. 

"Haven't you two unpacked yet?" Portman sticks his head in to our room. "Did you notice that they emptied our mini-bar? That's so unfair!" 

Well, at least he got his priorities straight. "What's up?" I ask stupidly.

"We're going to look around!" Portman yells excitedly. "And look for hot babes. Have any of you seen Fulton? He's missing." 

"Maybe he fell out of the limo on the way here," I suggest. "I wouldn't be surprised at all." 

"Stop it!" Portman howls. "Anyway, are you coming or not?" 

"Is Fred going to be there?" I mutter. It's not his fault, I know, but I still think he's hell. 

"Nah, he disappeared with Jeff or Lex or someone. I don't know, he's gone anyway. Why?" Portman asks. 

I shrug and grab Dwayne's arm. "Let's go!" 

"Okay, okay, okay!" Dwayne whines and drops his socks on the floor. "Where?" 

"I don't know!" I shout enthusiastically. "Out!" 

Both Portman and Dwayne give me a strange look, but what do I care? I'm not going to let my bad mood destroy this vacation. 

Suddenly the door bursts open and Connie comes running in. "We gotta go check out the pool!" she squeaks and grab my hand. I almost forgot about her, and that she was on this trip. What was I thinking? 

Now I don't care about that idiot Fred anymore, because Connie is being way too sweet and cute to me. It would be incredibly annoying, had it been any other couple doing it, but now it's not. 

Connie won't stop talking about all the things she plan on doing this week. "...and then we could go to a restaurant or something, even though the food here is free..." I hear her say on the way down.

"And!" she yells, making me jump several feet. "There's also Disney Land! Woohoo!" 

I laugh at her. "Could you calm down a bit? I'm still nauseous from the car-ride." 

Connie runs past me and out on the terrace. Now she's giving me a head-ache. Where did she get this energetic behavior? 

I see some of the players by the pool, so I stroll down to them, while Connie runs around like a maniac, scaring dogs by the kennel. 

"We found something to drink," Averman tells me when I get up to them. "It's got umbrellas! And you can choose the color yourself!" 

"How much fun!" I say sarcastically. "Do they have a blue one?" 

"They have EVERY color," he shouts back. 

"What's up your ass, Germaine?" Charlie asks while yanking a sandwich out of Adam's hand. "Why are you being such a sour-puss?" 

Well, first of all it was the flight. I hate flying. Then it was the car-ride. I hate car-rides. Then it was the unfair treatment. I hate those too. 

"I'm not! I'm just suffering from... jet-lag," I reply. The rest of them laugh. I didn't know I was that funny. 

"So, what's our plan for tonight?" Julie cuts in, probably tired of talking about me. "Should we do something together?" 

"Uh-huh," Charlie says, still fighting with Adam about the sandwich. I notice that he's changed clothes. "Where are the hosts anyway? Maybe they have made plans for us?" 

Connie comes bouncing back and throw her arms around my neck, almost making me double over. I hate when she does that. Although I don't mind... She seems incredibly excited about something, but I don't dare to ask what it is. 

"Hey, Julie, you wanna go shopping?" she cheers in Julie's direction. "Guy? Wanna go to the pool?"

Oh, that's why she's so happy? She's found a way to duplicate herself. "Umm, all at the same time?" Russ says before I have the chance to say anything. "Maybe you should sit down and chill for a second. You're making all of us nervous with your skipping and cheering." 

"Okey-dokey," Connie answers and sits down on the grass. "Now what?" 

"We're trying to decide what to do tonight," Adam explains to her and move away from Charlie. "Any suggestions?" 

"Oh, I got tons!" Connie exclaims and get up once more, but Portman grab her arm and yanks her down again. 

"Be still, woman!" he shouts. "You're really annoying when you're like this!" 

Connie stretches her tongue out towards him, but doesn't say something clever back. 

I hear Ken mumble something, and when I listen more carefully, I hear he's singing. My God, we've pushed him over the edge; the poor guy has finally lost it. "The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round," poor Ken sings. "The wheels on the bus go round and round, round the whole damn city. Are we doing something or what?!" 

That last thing he screams and I start laughing again. "We could look around," I say. Yep, that wasn't my suggestion in the first place, but it's all I can come up with. 

"We found alcohol," someone announces behind me. It's Fulton, and his new-found best friend Cecilia. 

It's in the middle of the day, and they have alcohol? Why do I have the feeling that this will end in disaster? 

Charlie quickly gets up from the lawn. "No one's drinking!" he says sharply. "Gimme the booze!" 

"You have to ask nicely," Cecilia tells him, but Charlie just pushes her to the ground. 

"I'm serious," Charlie continues, and he sounds really serious. 

"Well, I am not," Fulton replies. "I was kidding, there's no alcohol." 

I hear a bunch of sighs coming from the rest of the group, but Charlie doesn't pay any attention to them. "You better be joking," he hisses. Since when did he become Captain Responsible? 

"What's the big deal?" Adam mutters. "It was just a joke!" 

That's the beginning of a new argument between the two. I stay out of it, for once. 

Connie slips away through the commotion, and I follow her. 

"Wait, Connie, where are you going?" 

"Well, if you all are going to fight and argue on this trip, I'm going to look around on my own!" she smiles. "Are you going to fight, or you wanna come with me?" 

"What about the jet-lag?" I say even more stupidly. 

"Forget about the dumbass jet-lag! Let's go to the pool!" Connie exclaims and drags me along. 

I can totally live with that.

***   
**Portman's POV**

I've lost Fulton again. He disappeared during the Duck-fight. Since I'm certain he went inside, I run in through the doors to catch him.

I see him walking towards the hallway.

"Hey, Fulton, wait up!" I shout. He stops immediately, looks over his shoulder and then he keeps walking. Hey, what did I do this time?

"Where are you going?" I ask curiously. "What's with the attitude?"

"What attitude?" he finally answers. "I just thought you'd rather hang out with your friend." The way he says the word 'friends' makes me think of the Exorcist. I don't know why, really.

"You're my friend," I say, but realize that it wasn't the right thing to say at this time. "Umm, I mean, I want to spend time with you too, of course!"

Fulton shrugs. Then he keeps walking, and I decide to follow him. "So, speaking of friends..." I begin, just to have something to say.

"Yeah?" Fulton mutters.

"What's the deal with you and Psycho?" I ask. "Are you just hanging out with her to annoy me?"

Fulton snickers. "Nah, I think she's hanging out with me to annoy YOU."

Yeah, probably. To drag Fulton away from me is really to hit below the belt. "Anyway, this is not about her," Fulton says. "It's about us. And the fact that you're terrified about the thought of people finding out about..."

"About what?" I cut him off. "There's nothing to know."

Fulton shakes his head. "You can't live a double-life. Even if Connie happens to know how to duplicate herself, I know for a fact that you can't," he explains, like I'm a small child who needs to know that it's bad to steal other children's' candy.

I guess he's right. Even if everyone else thinks that we're just friends, it's wrong to pretend to be someone you're not. Although, that's his opinion, I'm fine with living a double-life. It makes me feel like a superhero. 

"You know I care about you," I finally settle with saying. "You're my best friend... I mean..."

"You can't even express what you feel," Fulton sighs. "But that's okay. Why change a winning concept?"

He lost me on that sentence. I look over my shoulder to see if anyone from the team is present. They're not, so I grab Fulton's arm to make him stop.

"You know what you mean to me," I tell him and put my hand on his cheek. I'm just about to lean closer to kiss him when the door next to us opens up and Connie comes bursting out. I panic and push Fulton into the doorway and he disappears with a thud.

Connie gives me a smile and continues bouncing away through the hallway. The second later Guy comes running. He takes a leap over Fulton and follows Connie.

I look at Fulton, who's fallen into the closet with clothes. He doesn't look all that happy, and I know I'm losing several points for this.

I can't come out of the closet and now Fulton's back in it too.

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percussion: the pairings in this story are Portman/Fulton (yeah, definitely Bash Slash in case you didn't pick it up from this chapter), Connie/Guy (we're keeping them together in this story), Julie may hook up with someone (quite possibly Jeff), and Fred/Cecilia. the rest of the pairings? well, there will be more, but we're not sure about them yet. they'll roll out as the story rolls on.


	5. Paranoia to the Max

hey everyone! first and foremost, thanks to the reviewers and the readers. Cimmy and I are so glad you like our story. we definitely appreciate it. we really do. 

here's chapter 5. we're actually done with chapters 6, 7, 8, and Cimmy is writing chapter 9 as I type this. it's going up kind of slowly though. I have to do all the formatting and stuff, to get the spacing right, which takes a while. But I like the spacing, ya know, in between the lines to be close to perfect. I'm a bit of a perfectionist like that…or, quite possibly, a freak too, depending on how you look at it. *grins* anyway, chapter 6 will definitely be up later today, so check back if you're interested. read and review chapter 5 for us for now, though, ok? *cheers*

Peace and Peaches,  
            Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: the Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, and their band belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 5: Paranoia to the Max  
By Cimmy**

**Fred's POV**

"Woohoo, a king-sized bed!" Cecilia cheers and takes a leap onto the cover. I stand in the door and take a deep breath of relief that she's not always like this.

"Yeah, woohoo, look," I say with an uninterested tone. I should be thrilled by the fact that we share room, because we're never allowed to do that when we're on a tournament or something. We have shared a bed before; we have just never slept together. That sounds wrong too.

"Guess what?" Cecilia says somewhere close to my ear. I twitch and wave her off like a fly. I didn't realize she was so close. "We have a view over the pools. This is so awesome! I've never lived like this before!"

I put down the bags I was carrying. Then I go over to the TV and turn it on. Woohoo my ass, this is just plain luxury. I'm up to my ass in this crap every day of my life. But I guess I should be happy for those less fortunate. They don't live like this every ding-dong day of their life.

Cecilia rushes over to the window and climbs out on the balcony. I guess she didn't see the door. I have to get up and watch so she doesn't fall over the edge. She's dangerously close when she leans over to see if she can look at the balcony below us. I grab her shirt. "Stop that," I order.

"Yes, sir," she answers and disappears inside again. I hate when she calls me 'sir'. I know she's kidding, but it's still uncomfortable.

"Cecilia?" I call when she's been quiet for a while. "Where are you? What are you doing?"

"Look! They're showing 'First Kid' on pay-per-view!" she shouts back. Oh my God, she's found the remote-control. Soon she'll be ordering things to our room, I just know it. And how old is that movie anyway?!

My girlfriend is lost in her own little world, so I decide to go out on the balcony for a while. It's much calmer out there, and not so hot.

There's something bugging me, but I can't figure out exactly what it is. Maybe it's because I know that Guy's pissed at me for some reason. Or that I'm annoyed with Cecilia. It could be because of Lex, she annoys me as well, but in another sort of way. Let's just say that it's because of Charlie, then I don't have to worry anymore.

The problem is that I know that Charlie's not the problem.

Suddenly I hear the door open, and I turn around. "I'm done with the movie," my girlfriend announces. "What's up?"

"Not much," I say and look out over the pools. Or maybe they're just small lakes? "Come here for a while."

She leans against the balcony again, this time without trying to climb over it. I decide that I should say something. "You like it here, don't you?"

"Well, I've only been here a couple of hours, but sure, I like it. What's not to like? Everything is so..." her voice trails off. I wait for her to continue, but she's just standing there, looking out over the same view I stared at.

"What?" I ask.

"It's just so... beautiful," she says with a low voice. Uh-oh, what's wrong now? She's never this serious, and she never uses the word beautiful.

"What's wrong?" I must ask. She looks at me and smiles. Don't say she's noticed how weird I am because of all this! I don't want her to find out.

"Don't you like it?" she wants to know. It's official; it's my crappy mood that's bringing her down. "We could go someplace else."

"Nah, I like it," I grin. "Wanna order something from room-service?"

She looks excited, but shakes her head anyway. "Can't we just stay here for a while?"

I put my arms around her and pull her into my embrace. "Sure, why not?" I reply and keep wondering if she's sad. She puts her head against my shoulder and sighs. What was that about?

Before I have the chance to ask, she puts her arms around my neck and kisses me. I can't bring up my problems now. She's got me. "I'm still cold," she mumbles a few minutes later. I realize that she's still cold from being pushed into the fountain.

"You better go put on something less wet," I suggest and release my arms around her waist. She nods and pads off to the door.

Am I really avoiding her, or am I being paranoid? Or am I being both?

I look in through the glass-doors and see her rummaging through the bag I dropped on the floor. I am being ridiculous, that's what it is. Nothing else. I watch her pull her shirt off, and I realize what I'm doing. I quickly turn around and feel how I'm blushing. I've seen her in less clothing then that, and I'm still behaving like... Like when I was younger.

"Fred? Are you coming inside?"

"Yeah, coming," I answer and leave the view and my weird thoughts behind.

Cecilia is back to her old self again. Without that hyper-behavior turned on. I sit down on the bed and snap my fingers. "Fetch the remote, please," I smile.

"Get it yourself," she suggests and jumps on to the bed. She almost falls on my legs and I quickly roll down on the floor.

"Fine, I'll get it," I exclaim and point at Cecilia, who's know lying on her back with her legs straight up towards the ceiling. "You get it next time."

There's nothing to watch, and we both get tired of terrorizing the room-service people after a while. We both agreed that they should divide the M&M's by color and size before sending them up here. Then we ordered some pizza with everything on, but in a certain pattern. Then we scared each other with stories about what they'd done with the pizza as punishment for us being so demanding. So we ate M&M's instead.

"Did you close the door?" Cecilia mumbles tiredly. "I'm still freezing."

Portman probably gave her a cold. Well, the up-side with that is that she'll be calm for the rest of the week…but ill.

Cecilia rolls over on her stomach and throws a peanut at the VCR. "Tell them to bring us some movies," she suggests.

I wonder what the others are doing? Not this, I bet. Cecilia grows tired of throwing food at the technical equipment, and I yawn again. She begins to crawl to the end of the bed, and I grab her leg before she disappears onto the floor. "Get back here," I instruct.

We end up making out. I still can't concentrate. I can't keep my thoughts together. Not even when I'm kissing my girlfriend. Maybe I'm the one with an illness? I jerk my head up all of a sudden. "Can we talk?"

She looks surprised, but nods. "Sure, when?"

"Now," I say and slip my hand through her hair. She shrugs and tries to move.

"Well, could you please get off me, then?" she asks. Oh, right. I almost forgot about that part. "What's on your mind?"

I don't move, because I have to think. I can't do think and move at the same time. It's my handicap in life. "Do you think Guy's mad at me?"

Cecilia moans loudly and grabs my shirt. "Of course not! Stop obsessing. Kiss me again."

I decide to obey her wish. "What about Lex?" I continue after I've kissed her a few times. "Or Charlie?"

She sits up and pushes me off her. "You suck," she growls.

"Okay, that might be true, but you said we could talk!"

"That's usually your way of saying 'let's make out', stupid!" she exclaims and goes over to the mini-bar. "They forgot to take our stuff."

"What? Well, could you listen to me?" I ask and lay down on the bed again. Wow, the ceiling is blue. I didn't see that until now. "Maybe it's because I drive people crazy."

"Might be," she answers from across the room. I hear her drop ice into a glass. "Or it might be because it's ALL IN YOUR HEAD!"

I continue to go on about this. On and on. Actually, I haven't said this much since Connie asked me what I thought about cats. Okay, I was drunk at the time, but I still said a lot. And Cecilia is listening. She always listens to me. Sometimes.

"I think I should watch what I'm doing, so I don't offend anyone, don't you think?"

"Sure, why not," Cecilia says and swipes another drink.

I look at her for a second, then I turn my head towards the window. "I just needed to say that. Are you listening?"

"Sure," she says again.

"Really?"

"Sure, why not." No, she's not listening. She just answers automatically. Great, now I've bored her to death too. Although, for being dead, she's awfully quiet...

"What are you doing?" I mutter and leave the bed. I see her down yet another drink, and I realize what I've done. I've bored her so much that she's gotten drunk just to ease the pain I caused her.

"Give me one of those," I growl and yank the bottle off the table. It's not fair. She's getting drunk without me, and I still can't figure out why I'm so miserable.

***

After a while it doesn't matter that she's drunk. I'm drunk too. And it doesn't matter that our TV won't show any good programs. We're not in our room anymore.

Actually, Cecilia decided that I was boring, so she went to find Fulton. Just to drive Portman crazy, I guess. I followed her in case she'd get into any trouble. Although I was the first one to trip down those damn steps to the next floor.

I'm not sure where Cecilia went off to; I just know that I ended up on the same floor all over again. Plus, I forgot to bring my card key. I decide to knock on the door across the hall. It's room 115, but neither of the Bash Brothers open the door.

Charlie and Adam aren't in their room either, so I stumble back to my room and kick the door a few times until my foot begins to hurt. I can't remember which room Jeff stays in. He can probably help me. Lex would probably overreact.

Was it 120, or 121? Or maybe it was 220? Or 221? Am I at least on the right floor?

A girl with dark brown hair comes out of 120. My sight is sort of blurry, so I mistake her for Cecilia. But she looks nothing like her, and I leave her alone. Instead I sneak up to the door she came out from. That can't be Jeff's room. So it's got to be... 121!

I give up a startled yell when the door opens again. This time it's not a girl with dark brown hair. It's a girl with light brown hair. It's Lex. Damn! "Uh, you're not Anna," she concludes. "I thought you were sleeping. I mean, you and Cecilia. The others went to the club downstairs... Are you okay?"

"Sure, why not?" I answer slowly. She gives me suspicious look. Then she rolls her eyes and grabs my arm.

"Have you been drinking?"

"Sort of," I admit. "But only legally."

"I knew I forgot to empty one of the refrigerators!" she moans loudly and slaps my arm. "Look what you did! Go to your room."

She sounds like my mother. No, not really. My mother never said 'go to your room'. "I'd love to, but I can't!" I exclaim.

"Oh yeah? Did Cecilia throw you out?" Lex mutters.

"No! I forgot the key inside."

"So knock on the door, stupid."

"No one's there," I explain and give her a victorious smile.

Lex just sighs. "Congrats. Sleep in the hallway. Where's Cecilia?"

"Umm..."

"Don't tell me she's drunk too!" Lex shouts and slaps my arm again. "Fred, what did you do?"

I put my hand against the wall and try to keep my balance. I suddenly don't feel so well. Lex sighs again. "You're not going to die on me, are you? Well, just come in then. Anna and Sammie aren't here. I'll help you get the card."

I mumble 'thanks' and push past her to get inside.

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hyperpunchbunny: yeah, there's a bit of tension between Charlie and Adam huh? we're not sure about Adam and Charlie yet, so we're steering clear from their romantic feelings for a little while. they may get together later on, though, so who knows? *winks*

percussion: glad you like Kenny. do you think that Bash Slash thing could be a chant? "Bash slash! Bash slash! Bash slash! BASH SLASH! YEAH!!!!"


	6. Broomsticks, Beatings, and Barf

chapter 6, just like we promised. read and review, ok? 

Peace and Peaches,  
            Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: the Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Matt, Chris, Anthony, Anna, and Sammie belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 6: Broomsticks, Beatings, and Barf  
By NYgoldfish54**

**Lex's POV**

Fabulous. Just fabulous. Jeff and I must have been crazy to bring the Ducks as our guests on this trip. It's not that I don't like them, I love them quite a bit, but they're hard to handle…and until I took them here for a ride in that limo, where Fred just about crushed my spleen, I didn't realize how many of them there were.

It's not even that I don't want them here. I'm glad they're here. Most of my family couldn't come. My 18 year old brother, Robbie, will be coming down the day of the show, but until then, none of my family is here. That's right; _none of my family is here. Not my parents ("We're too busy at work," they'd said. My mom was genuine. My dad wasn't.) My brother, Steve, is 25 and getting married soon, and he's busy with wedding plans. Laurie's 22 and can't get out of an extra college class, and the twins, Jay and Izzy, at seven years old, are too young. Jeff, Anna, Sammie, Anthony, Chris, and Matt's family are here- granted, on a totally different floor of this hotel and clear out of the way of the Ducks- but they're still here. So the Ducks are sort of my substitute family. _

I'm searching for Cecilia, who (according to Fred) is drunk, but she's also got the other card key to room 118. Fred's drunk too, and he's asleep on my bed…asleep or unconscious. I'm not sure which, but I sat with him in there until he stopped moving around. The first thing I'll do after Fred gets back into his room is empty the mini-bar. I can't have Fred and Cee drunk on this trip. They're in a strange place and could get into a load of trouble, and Steve and Laurie will not be happy if they've got to wire money down here to bail them out…not that Fred couldn't bail the pair of them out, but still, I don't want them in jail. I don't have time to make prison visits in between rehearsals. Thankfully, today we have off.

I've got to find Cee before Anna or Sammie get back to our room and find Fred sleeping there. If they don't beat him senseless themselves, they'll go get Matt, Anthony, and Chris and then those three will beat the hell out of him. Jeff's gone out to pick up an order for some new instruments, so he won't be around to stop the chaos. He's the only one of them who knows who Fred is and will save him from three guys who have learned to fight on the streets of New York.

I've checked the area by the pool, where Connie, Portman, Fulton, and Guy had said they hadn't seen Cecilia. I told them to keep an eye out for her, and not just because I need to find her. If she's drunk, she may accidentally drown. That'll be a fun disaster. 

I checked out the club where Russ, Goldberg, Julie, Luis, and Charlie were having a good time. They hadn't seen Cecilia either and I told Charlie to watch for her. I figure he keeps track of the team during the season, he can help out a little here too.

Finally I went to the game room, where Adam, Averman, Kenny, and Dwayne were playing all these different arcade game. No sign of Cee, and I put Adam on watch. He seemed to be the only one who was able to pull his eyes away from the machines for more than ten seconds.

I don't know where else to look. I've searched the hotel and I can't find her. Maybe she went with Jeff? Who knows? Oh well, she can take care of herself, Cee is pretty tough, and I probably just keep missing her.

I head back upstairs and walk down the hall. I hear hollering coming from…oh shit! My room! I sprint down the hall and the door to my room is open. Sure enough, Anna and Sammie got back before I did. If I wasn't so genuinely concerned for that obnoxious prick, Fred, who is being swatted at and hit with brooms, I would laugh.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Anna yells as she swings her broom at Fred.

"GET THE HELL OUT!" Sammie bellows, and she too, swung her broom.

Fred, holding his head, gets to his feet. I am just about to go in a say something when Anthony shoves me aside and hurtles into the room.

"Who's this guy?" Anthony demands.

"We don't know!" Sammie cries.

Anthony swung and hit Fred, hard in the stomach. That was too much for Fred, and he hurled all over Anthony.

"Gross," says Anthony backing away in disgust and looking at his vomit covered clothing.

Anna and Sammie are about to swing their brooms again when I yell, "STOP! ANNA, SAMMIE, STOP IT!"

Both of them stop, so surprised that I've actually told them to stop, that Anna drops her broom and Sammie stumbles backward.

"Lex, this dirt bag was sleeping on your bed when we walked in!" Anna exclaims.

"Yes, I know," I say, walking over to Fred and putting my hands on his shoulders to steady him. He really doesn't look all that healthy.

"Lex, you know him?" Sammie asks in disbelief.

"Yes," I answer. There's silence for a moment.

"Lex, you didn't…pick this guy up, did you?" Anna asks tentatively.

"Pick him up? Are you kidding?" I say, "No, he's actually a guest of ours that got locked out of his own room. He's a Duck. Anna, Sammie, Anthony, meet Fred."

I watch the color drain out of Anna's face as she realizes who she had just been whacking with a broomstick. Sammie's eyes went wide, and Anthony sort of grimaced. Once again, if I wasn't so worried about Fred and how he looks like he may hurl again, I'd laugh.

"Hi Fred," says Anthony putting out his hand. "I'm sorry I hit you. I didn't know who you were and the girls were screaming. The dark haired one is Anna and Sammie's the blond, and now, I'm going to change my clothes."

Fred opened his mouth but didn't answer. He looked rather pale. He shook Anthony's hand in stead, and nearly toppled over. Anthony left to change…and quite possibly shower. 

"He's not really in any shape to talk to you now," I say, saving Fred from more humiliation or the need to talk. "He'll be better later. Come on, Fred, let's go see if I can get you back into your room," and putting my arm around his waist, I slowly begin to lead him back toward his own room. He's leaning on me a lot, and damn, he's heavy.

As we walk by, I notice the cleaning woman. She must have a key to get in! 

"Excuse me, miss?" I say to her. She turns around. "My friend here," I jerk my head at Fred, "has managed to lock himself out of his room. Is there any way you could use your key to get him inside?"

"Yes, of course, which room?"

"Um…118, I think," I tell her. Fred nods slowly.

The woman opens the door, and I tell her 'thanks' as she goes back to what she was doing. I release Fred and he falls on to the bed. Then he gets up, brushes past me, and stumbles into the bathroom. I hear him retching again and I peer around the door to make sure he's alright. He's pale and he's bent over the toilet. He gets up and flushes and I quickly get away from the door to make it look like I wasn't invading his privacy. He staggers back to the bed and lies down. I see the mini-bar and I dump the alcoholic contents down the sink drain in the bathroom. I come out again and Fred is still lying on the bed and hasn't moved. I feel kind of sorry for him, so I wet a paper towel and put it on his forehead. Hangovers suck.

"Thanks," he murmurs.

"You're welcome," I say.

"Cecilia usually takes care of me," he murmurs again.

"Really?" I say, not at all surprised. I'm just asking to be polite.

"Yes," he mumbles and then says, "Lex, the room is kind of blurry."

"Well, how much did you drink, Fred?"

"Too much," he says quietly.

"Yeah, well, next time maybe you won't drink so much?" I ask.

"Yeah maybe," he says rolling over. I turn to leave, annoyed at him, but feeling sorry at the same time. I can't believe I feel sorry for him. I'm not usually like that. He's obnoxious most of the time. I don't know how I managed to be his lab partner all last year and not kill him. I mean, we got along, but it's sort of hard not to get annoyed with someone who continuously drops the glass science beakers on the floor.

"Lex, since Cecilia's not here, will you sit with me until I fall asleep?" he asks me as I reach the door.

"Fred, I've got to go-"

"Please?" he whimpers.

I look between the door and Fred. He looks so pitiful that I give in. "Oh fine, I guess so," I say.

"Cecilia drank too, she started it, then she got bored with me, I think," he slurs.

"Well, I've noticed Cecilia gets bored fast sometimes," I say, which is the truth. She does tend to get bored quickly.

He smiles and opens his mouth, as if to say something. Then he hurls into the small trash can by his bed. Watching him puke, I feel annoyed again, but this time not so much at Fred.

Cecilia, where ever you are, stay there. If you get back soon, I'll beat you senseless.

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crazy4nc128: Adam and Charlie, huh? well, it's definitely worth considering, but we'll se where it ends up. 

Xixie: glad you like the Bash slash. more to come. *cheers*  


	7. Bruised Egos

hmmm…chapter 7 kids, read and review for us, ok? 

Peace and Peaches,  
            Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: The Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cee belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Chris, Anna, Sammie, Anthony, and Matt belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 7: Bruised Egos  
By Cimmy**

**Cecilia's POV**

I rush to my room. I've been gone way too long; I just know it. 

I bumped into Portman by the pool about an hour after I left the room. He kept me occupied all night with his stupid card-games. He also kept my away from meeting the others, and I guess he did it on purpose just to get me into trouble. 

By now, I've realized that I'm missing and that the others could be out looking for me. Stupid Portman, he's trying to get me killed. Because I will be dead if Charlie finds out what I've been doing. 

No one is in the hallway, thank God. I quickly unlock the door and sneak in. It's dark, but I can still see that Fred is sleeping on the bed. Maybe he didn't notice I was gone? 

He's supposed to be the responsible and mature one. He's always looking after everyone and he acts older then he is. So that makes me look bad all the time.

I lean over him and touch his cheek. He opens his eyes and look at me. "How are you?" I ask. 

He looks genuinely surprised that I'm there. He probably didn't even miss me. My heart pounds faster. He doesn't care about me anymore. 

"Fine, I suppose," he answers. I sit down next to him and kiss him on the forehead. "I thought you were hanging out with Fulton." 

He looks the other way, and suddenly he flies up. My head bumps into his and I fall off the bed. "You're not Cecilia!" he shouts. Yes, I am! Aren't I? 

It's not me he's talking to. It's the person next to him. The person is Lex. She's been sleeping in my bed! Oh, I'd really like to hear this explanation! 

"Sorry, I guess I fell asleep," Lex says and sit up. "Don't worry, we were just talking. Fred didn't feel so well…" 

"Talking?" I squeak, completely misinterpreting the whole situation. Usually I don't get this worked up about these things, but he said that he wanted to talk to me. And now it looks like he and Lex has become best friends, while talking about things he SHOULD be talking to ME about! 

"Well, go on!" I say. "I guess that talking to me isn't good enough, huh?" 

"Calm down," Fred mumbles. "I have a headache. And I talked to you, but you decided to get drunk instead." 

I don't stay to listen to the rest of the conversation. I hear that Lex calls my name, but I'm busy trying to think of a place I can sleep at. I end up at the floor in the hallway, thinking how it's all my fault because I can't even listen to my boyfriend when he talks. 

*** 

**Ken's POV**

We had decided that we should all get together and eat breakfast, so we could talk about our plans for the week. 

Almost everyone is excited about the upcoming events, with a few exceptions. Lex looks tired, Portman seems to suffer from the same thing, and Fred has his head against the table. Cecilia hasn't even showed up yet. 

"When are we going to Disney World?" Connie exclaims and spills out some of Guy's milk. "I have already made a list on what rides I should go on!" 

Charlie shakes his head and overlooks the fact that Connie's on some sort of drug. "I guess we could go whenever. Or did you made plans for us, Lex?" 

Lex is resting her head against her hand and barely even looks at Charlie. "What? No, I guess we didn't." 

There's some weird vibe between her and Fred today, because every time she talks, he sighs. And then he smiles. 

"So, when are we going?" Connie cheers. 

"Yeah, when?" Averman asks. "I just have to go on the Dumbo ride!" 

"Nah, I'll think that one's a little too fast for me," Russ laughs. "Why the Dumbo ride?" 

"Isn't it obvious?" Luis begins, but Julie interrupts him before he gets the chance to finish his insult. 

"Can we go today?" Connie almost shouts. 

Portman looks up. "What's the noise about?" he mutters, oblivious to what's going on around him. Cecilia comes walking in and without a word she sits down next to Connie. Connie is still waving her arms around and doesn't notice her new table-buddy. 

More people come up to the table. I don't recognize any of them, so I assume it's the band Lex and Jeff was talking about. Lex just nods in their direction. 

"This is the rest of our band," Jeff explains to us. "Guys, this is the Ducks." 

He introduces us all, and then he turns to the band-members. "This is Matt, Anna, Sammie, Chris and Anthony." 

The rumor is already out about how Fred got drunk lost night. And how he got his ass kicked too. At least I know about it, so that means that everybody else has got to know it too. While Anthony is trying to apologize to Fred, who's clearly very uninterested, we keep eating. 

The food here is great! There's ham and egg and bacon and pancakes and sandwiches and yogurt and porridge and sausages and cereals and wow! You're allowed to take how much you want, and believe me, we did. I can honestly say that I almost rolled away from the table when we were done. 

"You wanna go to Disney World?" Connie asks me. I think that's all the verbal skills she has on this trip. 

"If you want me to throw up, sure," I smile. "Otherwise you have to wait." 

"It's free, Kenny," she reminds me. "Free for all!" 

We go over to the elevator. Before going out into the world of Donald Duck, I have to change to another pair of shoes. Connie is just following me, I guess because no one else stands to have her around anymore. 

I see Cecilia by the elevator, and now she's upset with Anthony for some reason. I thought they hadn't even met. But I guess punching Fred is bad enough. 

Connie drags me along to her and Julie's room. "Maybe she wants to tag along?" 

I guess there's no better way to spend a day, then to spend it at Disney World. Although, according to Connie's shifty plans, I think we could end up pretty much anywhere. 

We meet up with the rest of the group downstairs a few minutes later. Some are still moping, but generally it's a happy bunch of teenagers. Who wouldn't be happy at a place like this? 

I throw an eye at Fred, who's now having a big-ass bruise on his cheek as well. Probably caused by either his nutty girlfriend or someone else he's managed to make crazy. I guess that not everyone is happy at a place like this. 

But what do I care? Rich people and their problems. Pfff. Lex is like a patch on Fred, forcing him into putting some ice on his bruise. 

Connie grabs my hand and drags me outside. It's sunny, without a cloud in sight. 

I think what everyone else is probably realizing. The queues are going to be terrible! (**author's**** note: queues = lines) That is if Connie lets us get all the way to the theme park without any crazy adventures on the side. **

Not unlikely.

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crazy4nc128: don't feel too bad for Fred, he'll get his happy ending eventually.

percussion: I didn't take it from the story, though I've read it. It's a good story…yeah, we do update fast. It's summer time and I've got nothing to do...oh and YOUR MOM!


	8. Kids At Heart

hey all! what's up? chapter 8's up! jeez, that's corny. ignore that.

to everyone who's reviewed: thanks so much!

Peace and Peaches,  
            Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: The Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Matt, Anna, Anthony, Sammie, and Chris belong to NYgoldfish54. 

Oh, and you know what else, something we should have mentioned earlier? In case you didn't guess, Disney World belongs to Disney. All the rides and parks and restaurants are not made up, they're actually in Disney in Florida…at least, according to DisneyWorld.com. Please don't think we made them up and just use them and not give Disney credit… we could get in a shit load of trouble for that, and lawsuits from Disney are really not something we'd like to add to the book we'd be writing in jail. (note the first Ducks movie reference *wink*)

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**Chapter 8: Kids at Heart  
By NYgoldfish54**

**Julie's POV**

"Are you Connie or Julie or Cecilia?" a blond haired girl says to me, sitting down in the chair next to me. The chair was empty now because Ken was pulled out by Connie. I'm just finishing up myself. 

"I'm Julie. The really small one who looks rather miserable is Cecilia. The dark haired one that looks like she's on a permanent sugar high is Connie," I say smiling at her.

She laughs and says, "Hi Julie. I'm Sammie."

"Hey Sammie," I say, shaking her hand. 

"I'm trying my best to be really friendly. Lex and Jeff talk very highly of all of you. They really like you all."

"Really?" I ask, and to my surprise, I'm smiling. I guess I figured Lex and Jeff liked us otherwise we wouldn't be here, but it's different when you hear it from other people.

"Yeah, they really do." 

"They talk about you all the time," I tell Sammie. That's the truth. Lex and Jeff are always talking about kids from back home, especially the ones that are here with us.

"Here's your orange, Julie," Luis says, tossing me the fruit I'd asked for a few minutes ago.

"Thanks," I say, catching it. 

He offered to get it for me because I couldn't find one on the table they set out. They were all taken by the time I got there, and I have an orange every morning. Luis noticed, and offered to find me one. He's sweet like that. He's a flirt and all, but we're friends, and he's really good to his friends.

"Yeah, that blond boy, Adam, mentioned they talk about us a lot," Sammie says to me.

"Wow, Adam talked to a girl that wasn't me, Lex, Cee, or Connie? Incredible," I say, and Sammie laughed.

"Actually he was talking to Chris, but I happened to overhear. I sat down to join them, and Adam just about ran away," she says, and we both burst out laughing. "Your friends seem really wonderful," she says, when the laughter dies away.

"They are, at least, most of the time. We're a good team. Your friends seem great too, except…why were you guys beating up Fred?"

"Well, if you walked into your room and you didn't know Matt, and it was just some strange guy sleeping on your bed, what would you do?" Sammie asks me.

"Yeah, I think I see your point," I answer.

"We grew up in New York, and while it's a good place, if you find someone you don't know asleep on your bed, you don't just let him stay," Sammie says. "Anyway, Anthony tried to apologize again, before, but Fred didn't really seem interested."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Fred's always a bit distracted."

"Ok," she says, smiling. "Well, I'd better go introduce myself to some other people. Nice to meet you, Julie."

"Nice to meet you, too, Sammie," I say and she turns to go. Then she stops and turns back. She sits back down.

"Are you going to the parks later?" she asks me.

"Yeah, of course. Why? Aren't you?"

"That's great! I am too, and I was just thinking, maybe we could go on Space Mountain together. It'd be fun."

"Yeah, it would be, let's do it," I say, finishing my orange.

"Now I better go talk to somebody else before we go, see ya later Julie!"

"Bye Sammie," I say.

Well, now I have someone to ride Space Mountain with. I feel just like a first grade kid who's got a buddy for a field trip. Hmmm…isn't that interesting? I think I've just made a friend.

***

**Averman's POV**

I can't believe it! I'm going to go on the Dumbo ride! YES! I've wanted to do that since I was seven!

We're almost at the park, and while almost everyone seems excited, Connie is definitely the most ecstatic. She's talking a mile a minute to Guy, who's just sitting there, smiling, and looking rather cheerful. Guy had better watch Connie carefully when they get to the park. She might hyperventilate.

When we finally get to the park, she barrels over Portman, Charlie, and Banksie (no small feat) and hops off the bus. 

"Whoa Connie!" says Fulton, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her back so she doesn't run straight through the gates. Julie catches my eye and we both turn away, grinning.

Finally, we're in the park! I'm going to go on the Dumbo ride! 

"Wow this place is huge!" declares Portman at the top of his lungs.

"Well, what did you expect?" Fulton asks with an amused look on his face.

That reminds me. Those two have been in a right state lately. Sometimes they're mad at each other, other times they're happy as could be, and all the time they're throwing each other strange looks. It's the same way Connie and Guy act most of the time. If I didn't know better, I'd say the Bash Brothers were having lovers' quarrels. But that can't be. The Bash Brothers are all big and tough and manly. They_ can't_ walk the other side of the line. Could they? I guess they could…but why wouldn't they tell us? I mean, we're their best friends. We wouldn't care…at least, I wouldn't. But I really don't think the others would either.

"LOOK, AVERMAN!" says Russ in mock excitement, bringing me out of my thoughts of how manly the Bash Brothers are compared to the transvestites they show on NYPD Blue, "THE DUMBO RIDE!"

"We're going on the Dumbo ride, Guy," Connie says. Guy looks genuinely horrified.

"Connie, are you sure? I mean, it's for 8 year olds…" he trails off. Way to go Guy! Ruin her happiness! However, Connie doesn't seem upset at all.

"Come on, Guy, I've been waiting my whole life to come here. Come with me, please?" she says in her best I'll-love-you-forever voice.

Guy looks back and forth to Charlie then to Adam then to Jeff for help. When none of them say anything and Jeff turns away laughing, Guy says, "Alright, I'll go with you on the Dumbo ride, Connie."

"Great!" she exclaims. Grabbing his arm, she practically drags him away to go stand on the line.

"Don't say I never loved you," we hear Guy saying to Connie as the rest of us look around.

"Well, I'm going on the Dumbo ride too. I've wanted to go since I was seven, and I'm not passing it up now that I have the chance," I announce. Everybody just stares at me. "Who wants to come with me?" I ask. Everyone continues to stare at me.

Julie steps forward, and looks at the rest of the Ducks. "Are you all really _that embarrassed that you won't go with your friend on a ride for 8 year olds in a place with people we'll never see again?" she asks, her voice full of disbelief._

"Yes," says Goldberg, in a very matter-of-fact tone. Thanks a lot Goldie! I'm finding a new best friend now!

 Julie rolls her eyes. "I'll go with you, Averman," she says. 

Charlie considers, then says, "Yeah, I guess I'll come too."

Lex looks around. "I'll ride with you, Charlie," she decides. Fred looks mildly disappointed. 

"And us," said Fulton, grabbing Portman by the sleeve of his t-shirt.

"What?" asks Portman in disbelief.

"Oh shut-up and come on," Fulton says, yanking him toward the line.

"What the hell?" says Goldberg. "The Cat Lady's right, we'll never see any of these people again…"

So we all ended up on line for the Dumbo ride, 15 Ducks and 7 band members. All in all, 21 teenagers, on the line for the Dumbo ride. Sort of pathetic, yeah, but what can I say? We're all kids at heart.

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crazy4nc128: glad you like it. Connie is a bit nutty, isn't she? hmm…she's a kid a heart.


	9. Things That Go Bump

Chapter 9, everyone. Enjoy. Review for us, ok?

disclaimer: see previous chapter. too lazy to type it out again…or use pronouns.

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**Chapter 9: Things That Go Bump  
By Cimmy**

**Luis's POV******

I'm in the Dumbo-line, and wow, it makes you feel like Dumbo. Or just dumb. I'm way too loyal to my friends. I'd rather be checking out girls at the Blizzard Beach. I could do that by the pool at the resort too, but who cares?

"There's the red elephant!" Averman shouts. "It's the best one; it goes higher then the rest!"

I look at a five year-old boy behind us, who's terrified by Averman's yelling. The boy looks suspicious towards Connie too, who's bouncing up and down on the spot.

"Where are we going next?" Julie tugs my sleeve. "I want to go to Space Mountain!"

That sounds more fun then 'Dumbo the Flying Elephant', so I nod. "We could go there. Right, everyone?"

"Magic Kingdom rules!" both Averman and Connie shout. The little boy hides behind his mother. Poor kid.

"I can't go on rides that go round and round and round again," Guy complains.

"Just like the bus!" Ken exclaims and dances a little. I can't do anything else but laugh.

"It makes me sick," Guy growls.

"Everything makes you sick," Charlie points out. "Let me guess, it's 'hell' too?"

The line moves forward. "Yeah, actually it is," Guy mutters.

"But you're going on Space Mountain, right?" Julie asks worriedly. She always wants everyone to be involved in everything. So that no one will feel left out. I agree with her on that one.

"I guess," Guy says with a smile. "It doesn't go round, does it?"

Averman is so excited that he almost pushes a little girl out of the way so he can get the red Dumbo. I was always a fan of the mouse, Timothy. Where's he at?

"Oh no!" Lex suddenly yells. "I forgot my bag at the store!"

Everyone turns around. "Well, I HAVE to go on this ride!" Averman howls. "I just HAVE to."

"I'll go with you," Connie offers. "You guys can stay and I'll look for Lex's bag."

Guy looks relieved, until Julie speaks up. "No, we must all go on the ride, otherwise it's not as much fun," she begs. "Right Luis?"

I give the girl one orange, and suddenly I'm her hero?

"I guess..." I begin, but Julie squeaks too loud for me to continue.

"There you go!"

"I could stay," Fred says. Duh, we know. "You can go, I'll stay and help Lex."

Portman opens his mouth to say something idiotic, probably, but Fulton gives him a look that makes him stay quiet. "Okay then!" Connie cheers again. "Let's go! We can meet you by the exit!"

We all try to find an elephant that 'matches our personality', as Averman said we should. Some brat cut in line and I ended up waiting for the next ride instead. Adam also had to stay in line, so I grab his arm and drag him backwards so he can stand next to me.

The looney toon Cee is a few steps behind me, leaning against the bars. She looks like she hasn't moved in several minutes. I grab her by the arm too and pull her up to us instead. Even if she's annoying, there's no point in her standing all by herself. We'd only loose her.

"So, woohoo, look at the kiddie ride," Adam nudges her. Woohoo is her trademark. That, and outbursts.

"Yeah, woohoo," she answers low-key.

Dwayne and that guy Anthony are also left in line, and I try to come up with a reason why we are queuing when our interest in the ride is below zero.

"Ahm," Dwayne clears his throat. "Where are we?"

"In line," I explain slowly.

"I mean, in which park?"

"Disney World," Adam says even slower.

"No! I mean, in what theme park!"

Cecilia rolls her eyes. "Magic stupid Kingdom," she mutters.

"Really? Did they rename it?" Dwayne asks.

I try hard not to hit him over the head with my shoe.

"I really don't feel like going round and round and round again," Adam explains. "Let's say we skip it? We could go on Space Mountain twice instead."

"Okay," I say quickly. I drag Cecilia with me when we leave the line. Anthony and Dwayne follow us nicely. "Connie will kill us."

"Let her," Adam suggests. "That way we won't have to go on the Mad Tea Party."

"That one is fun!" I exclaim. Well, it is!

The others laugh. "I guess we have different tastes," Adam grins. "I'll go with you."

We meet the rest of our friends by the exit sign. Connie screams loudly. "You didn't go?"

"Adam got sea-sick," I say. "Was it fun?"

"It was the best! Totally awesome!" Averman is completely ecstatic. "Let's do it again!"

"No, Space Mountain!" Julie screams louder. "Right, Sammie?"

"Yeah!" Sammie agrees. "Where is Lex…and that other guy?"

There's another scream coming from around the corner. We all turn to see what's going on.

Lex comes running past the exit with an empty water bottle. She turns around and quickly back towards the lawn, then she holds her hands up over her head. Fred shows up the second later. He's soaking wet, probably because of the empty water bottle Lex still has in her hand. He splashes water at her from his own bottle and she gives up another piercing yell.

"Okay..." Charlie says slowly. "Umm, I think it's time to do something that doesn't include water."

Lex looses her balance and grabs Fred's shirt to keep from falling. They both topple over with a thud. I have to laugh, because it looks hilarious. When I look around, I see that Cecilia's missing. Then I remembered that she said something about going to the bathroom.

"We better wait for..." I say, but I don't have time to finish my sentence before she shows up. She's coming from the same direction as Fred and Lex came from, and she walks up to them. They're still lying on the ground.

"This is new," she smiles. "What are you two doing?"

Why is she smiling? If my girlfriend ended up under some strange guy, I'd not be happy. I guess it would be worse if they were undressed, but still...

"Uh, it's not what it looks like," Fred explains and gets off Lex. "I fell."

"Looks like it," Cecilia answers with a grin. "Aw, look, you're blushing. Isn't that adorable?"

Fred helps Lex up on her feet again. "We're going to the Tower of Terror," he tells his girlfriend. "You wanna tag along?"

"Nah, I'm going to Space Mountain."

"Okay, let's meet later," Fred suggests, although not with a very excited tone.

Cecilia nods and walks over to us. I know for a fact that she's not at all happy about the outcome. And I definitely know for a fact that Fred hasn't forgotten about Cecilia being terrified of heights. He's just generally avoiding her.

Julie put an arm around Cecilia's shoulder. "You can come with us. Space Mountain is not as scary." She receives a cold look from Cee. "Not that I think you're afraid or anything, I'm just saying... You know how scared Adam gets sometimes."

Adam objects, but Charlie looks satisfied by that comment. "We could go on the Mad Tea Party," he teases Adam. I squeak happily and everybody laughs again.

***

**Jeff's POV**

Even though the Tower of Terror sounds fun, I have a feeling that I shouldn't interfere in whatever Lex and Fred are doing. Lex is a smart girl, she knows better then to flirt and mess around with someone who already has a girlfriend. I'm starting to have lower opinions about Fred, though.

Julie seems utterly excited about Space Mountain, and I notice that she's been talking to Sammie non-stop about the ride. It's nice that at least some people have decided to make this a fun trip.

"So, what's the deal with all the mountains?" Dwayne asks me. "Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad... I guess that's it?"

He's looking at a map over the whole park, and I point at the Tower of Terror over by the MGM Studios-area. "That's The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," I explain. "You know the TV-show The Twilight Zone?"

"Wasn't there a movie with Kirsten Dunst about that tower?" Russ replies. "With that Police Academy-guy?"

"Yeah, I guess it was," I answer. "They drop the elevator thirteen floors. It takes about two seconds. Two and a half, I think."

"Seconds?" Dwayne gasps. "They sure don't have that in Texas."

"That's because we're in Florida now," Russ says.

"Really?" Dwayne says stupidly, but he's only acting this time. "It's a small world after all."

Connie starts laughing. "Yes, it is!"

So, the Ducks are insane. What else is new?

We arrive at Tomorrowland, and there's only thirty minutes we have to wait in line. Although it seems like three hours when Connie's around. The good thing is, only Guy is being terrorized by her. That makes it a lot more fun.

When we finally get to the rockets we are supposed to go in, there is a big fuss about who's going with whom. Charlie succeeds with getting Connie away first, with Averman, Portman and poor Guy. Fulton and Goldberg decide to go with them.

I am the last one left in line when the third rocket comes in to take Charlie, Julie, Sammie, Ken, Chris and Adam away. "We could stay behind," Charlie says. "So you don't have to ride alone."

"We can stay," Julie offers and looks at Sammie. "It's okay, that way, we can ride up front!"

Charlie shrugs. "If that's okay with you. Let's go, Cakey. We're holding up the line." He pushes Adam into the rocket and Adam dives in, almost with his head first.

"Cool, outer space!" Julie says. "Then we have to go to Splash Mountain. And that terror-tower sounds fun too!"

"The others said something about going on the MGM Studios rides," I tell her. "It's sort of in another part of the park, it's a long walk. And the line for that tower is really long, almost an hour sometimes."

"How would you know?" Sammie snorts.

"I read it in the pamphlet," I grin. "I'm educated. Are you?"

Julie steps between us and points towards the empty rocket that has arrived in front of us. "Let's bitch in space, shall we?"

I don't have time to come up with anymore smart comments, because I'm trying to not ruin the trip for myself.

"That was awesome!" Averman exclaims again. We're all gathered outside the exit, and now we have to decide what to do.

"Splash Mountain!" Connie yells. "Please, please, please, please!"

Guy hurries to buy her a burrito, so she can finally shut up. He deserves a medal or something.

"Isn't that sort of... wet?" Charlie asks. "No water."

"Why?" several people shout.

"Because!"

"It's Splash Mountain," Connie spits out, along with most of the food she has in her mouth. "I am going!"

"Could you please not talk with food in your mouth?" Portman wrinkles his nose. "It's disgusting."

I see that Anthony is still trying to win Cecilia over to his side. She's quite stubborn, I have to say. I remember when she and I had to write a report together. She insisted that I should drop a melon from the roof of the school to 'see what happens'. We almost died when the melon was about to drag us both down in the fall. I should point out that the 'melon' was a pumpkin. What a mess. Dumb girl to not know the difference between a melon and a pumpkin.

We all go back to get in line for Splash Mountain. There's a long line there too. Luis is dragging Cecilia by the arm, with Anthony following them like a tail. An annoying tail that never stops talking.

"I don't WANT to!" she bellows. "I hate water!"

Portman joins them to convince her, although I think it's just because he wants to torture her. He picks her up and carries her over to the line. I've never heard anyone that small curse so much.

"So," I say and turn to Julie. "What sort of rides do you like?"

"I like them all!" she snickers. "Especially the scary ones, I love those!"

"Roller coasters?" I ask.

"Of course! Anything! There was one where you were strapped upside down, it was so horrible!" she laughs. "Actually, it was great."

"Okay, how 'bout things that goes round and round?" I continue and give Ken a warningly gaze to stop him from yapping about the bus again.

"I'm not a wussy, unlike some people," she answers and gives Guy a look. He mutters something under his breath and Connie slugs his arm.

I really hope that the rest of our group gets lost or drowns during the ride, because I really, really want to talk to Julie some more...without everyone breathing down my neck all the time.


	10. The Problems With Puppets

hey all. chapter 10. lots of uploading today. lots of free time. read and review, ok? 

Cheers,  
            Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: same as the previous chapters. see chapter 8 for official, long, typed out disclaimer.

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**Chapter 10: The Problems With Puppets  
By NYgoldfish54**

**Dwayne's POV**

We're standing on line for Splash Mountain. Julie is talking to Jeff and Sammie. Cecilia is talking with Portman, Fulton, and Anthony mainly about Fred, but I can't hear what she's saying. Charlie and Adam are having their usual arguments, this time about chicken soup, and if it's better with or without carrots. Charlie and Adam are dumber than I am sometimes. Luis is talking to Anna and Matt, two of the kids Lex and Jeff hang out with. Averman, Goldberg, and Kenny are talking about ways to sedate Connie, who's bouncing up and down talking to Guy. I'm standing here with Russ, who's talking about the Ducks to Chris, another of Lex and Jeff's friends.

We're explaining the Junior Goodwill Games and about the team from Iceland we had to play. 

"They were really big, weren't they, cowboy?" Russ says.

"Huge," I agree. 

"Did they play dirty?" Chris asks.

"Very dirty," Russ said.

"Dirtier than a pig rolling around in a mud hole," I emphasize. Chris gives me a funny look, and I flash my smile. People think I'm stupid, but I'm not. I know what goes on better than people think. Okay, I don't always understand all the big vocabulary words, but I get along. Russ is a good translator too. He'll explain to me what's going on if I don't understand.

"We were playing without Banks for a good part of the tournament, they hurt him pretty bad, but he made it back for the last game. I had taken his spot on the roster, but Captain Conway gave up his spot so both Banks and I could play," Russ explains to Chris. 

"No shit? That's nice of him. Why didn't he just let you ride the bench instead?" Chris asks.

"I've thought about that many times," says Russ. "I think it had something to do with my knuckle puck. What do you think, Cowboy?"

"I think Charlie's just a nice guy, Russ. He's captain of this team for a reason. Remember last year?" I say. 

Charlie went through a rough spot last year, but we all did. We had a tough new coach who took away our Duck jerseys, and the Ducks were nearly tossed out of school. Preppies at Eden Hall wanted us out, and Charlie left, and the team started to crumble. But Coach Bombay got Charlie to come to his senses, and Charlie came back, and we got to know our new coach. Coach Orion drilled us really hard, but we did beat the Varsity in the JV/Varsity showdown. Portman hadn't been there and showed up during the second intermission. He brought us new life. We were pretty damn impressive. Goldberg scored the winning goal with no time left and the Ducks won, 1-0. It was all dramatic and cliché an incredibly sappy, sort of like one of those feel good Disney movies. But we won, it was a happy ending, and that's really all that matters.

"I'll never forget that day, or that game," Russ says to me. I know which game he's talking about. Obviously the JV/Varsity game. But I know he means a different day than the day the game took place. He's talking about the day two days before the game, when Coach Orion gave us back our Duck jerseys.

"Me neither, partner, me neither," I nod. Chris seems to realize that he shouldn't ask questions, and Russ has a far away look in his eyes, like he's remembering.

"Is this line _ever_ going to move?" Portman groans loudly, jerking me out of my memories. "We've been in the same spot for about half an hour now. Somebody, do something!"

"And what do you suggest we do, Portman?" Charlie asks him.

Portman gave a sheepish grin then says, "I don't know. You're the brains of the operation, Charlie."

"Well, I can't do anything," Charlie says to him.

Adam coughed something into his hand that sounded strangely like 'typical', but I won't swear to it. Charlie and Adam fight a lot, but they like each other. They're friends. They're just…idiots, I guess, would be the most accurate word.

Just then, Portman's prayers were answered, and the line started to move. When it was finally our turn, we fit in two raft things. The attendants closed the gates, and we began to float away into the darkness. 

***

**Russ's POV**

Ok, I don't like this ride. I really, really don't like it. We're floating in these raft things, a little upward but mostly level, along this river cavern thing. It smells kind of funky in here, plus, they're playing the song Zippity-Doo-Dah over and over again, and there's all the scary puppet things. There's something entirely too weird and friendly and colorful about them. They're kind of sinister, in a way, with their not-quite-real smiles. This evil fox and his minions are trying to eat this rabbit, from what I can tell. They keep setting up traps for him, but he keeps escaping…Oh no…now they've caught him, and there's a turn up ahead…oh wait, the rabbit is escaping…but now I can't see where the tunnel is heading next. We keep drifting forward, and drop a little. All the characters seem to be waving at us…the car ahead of ours disappears, and I hear Cecilia scream. 

Dwayne and I look at each other, and we're both thinking the same thing.

"What the he-" Luis starts from behind us, but he doesn't have time to finish his question. Just then, day light and fresh non-funky-smelling air hits us, and for a brief moment, I can see all over the park- we're high up, over looking most of the park and there's a huge drop in front of us- and then we're flying down on this thing and when we hit the bottom…SPLASH. 

The boat made a big noise, but I didn't really get all wet. I guess that's ok, I have no desire to be soggy all day. I'm a skater, not a swimmer. We float to the end of the ride, and get out. The others are waiting for us. Everyone is pretty much smiling, except Cecilia. She's rather pale and upset looking.

Connie, of course, is bouncing all around excited and happy, oblivious to the look of horror on Cee's face. "Let's do it again! Let's do it again!" she chants.

"Connie, calm down," Guy puts a hand on her shoulder, and she at least stops bouncing.

"I am not going on that again," Cee says. 

"Neither am I," I say.

"Why, Russ, are you scared of heights?" Averman prods.

"No," I say.

"What's the matter then?"

"It was those stupid puppets with their weird grins. Gave me the creeps," I say. The height didn't scare me at all. I wish there was more height and less puppets.

"You're afraid of the puppets?" asked Goldberg in disbelief.

"Not afraid, exactly, just-" I think of them and I shudder "-they're not for me."

"Well, let's do something else for now," Adam says. "We can torment Russ on the bus ride back to the hotel about how he's afraid of big, plastic puppets." That bastard!

"Craptacular," I mumble, slightly annoyed, knowing I should have made up some lie instead of admitting the puppets were emotionally scarring to me.

"What do you want to do next? What's next?" Charlie says quickly, sensing an argument. He's pretty good at stopping other people at fighting. Too bad he can't control himself when he gets into arguments with Banksie.

"Well," says Jeff looking around, "Thunder Mountain Roller Coaster is right over there. We could do that."

"Yeah, coasters are fun," says Fulton.

Forty minutes later, Fulton was saying "That's the worst coaster ever."

"I somehow think it was more for 8 year olds than 15 year olds, but hey, none of us has ever been here before so we had to do it," said Kenny. Then he began to sing again. "The wheels on the train go round and round…"

Something about Kenny singing that song makes me wish I had gone with Lex and Fred. He's kind of scary when he sits and sings and looks evil…it's almost as if he's trapped inside his own head. It's kind of evil, sinister. A lot like the puppets. 

"What's next?" Matt asks. Anna takes out a map.

"Hey, let's go check out some of the old classics," she says. "We can see the Haunted Mansion, the 'It's a Small World' ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Hall of Presidents, and the Country Bear Jamboree."

"Sounds like a plan to me," says Sammie.

And so we're off. As long as The Hall of Presidents doesn't have any overly friendly, colorful, plastic, I-could-be-alive-and-hack-you-to-death puppets, I should be fine. 


	11. Tower Of Anxiety

hey, here's chapter 11! cheers!

Bash Slash lovers should find this chapter interesting. Cimmy really did a great job with it. Portman comes out to Cecilia and Luis…well, he doesn't really come out, he's sort of forced out…yeah, read the chapter. don't forget to review.

disclaimer: The Ducks, as well as Disney World and everything in it, belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia are Cimmy's. Lex, Jeff, Matt, Anthony, Chris, Sammie, and Anna are NYgoldfish54's.

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**Chapter 11: ****Tower**** of ****Anxiety****  
By Cimmy**

**Adam's POV **

After strolling around among the classic rides, and tearing Ken away from the Country Bear Jamboree, we all agree that we should go on the MGM-rides. Some are reluctant to that idea, like Guy, Cecilia and Charlie. But I think Charlie is refusing because I said it would be 'a great idea'. He, he. 

"I say we start with the Tower of Terror!" Connie decides for all of us. "It looks great!" 

"If you keep this routine up, we'll all push you down from up there," Charlie hisses. Besides from his growling, everyone is happy. Even Guy, though we forced him to go on the Mad Tea Party. 

We go over to stand in line again. Luckily, it doesn't take so long. Time flies by when you watch half of the team trying to convince the other half that they should go on the ride. I'm not scared of heights, so I stay out of it. If they don't want to go, why force them? 

Charlie gives in first, mostly because he loves these sort of rides. Guy yells a "Yeah, alright already!" when Connie for the fifth time pulls his arm. 

I look around to see if I can spot Lex and Fred somewhere, but I guess they went on to other adventures after this ride. 

"I don't know about this," Russ mutters. "It's sort of dark." 

"There's no scary animals inside," I sooth. "You'll be fine." 

"It wasn't the animals!" he shrieks. "It was the damn puppets!" 

Luis comes up to us. He still has Cee's arm in a firm grip. "It's almost our turn, we can't bail out now!" 

"We're not even inside the building yet!" Guy howls at him. "Could we save the speech for when we're inside?" 

"I can't go," Cecilia explains and pulls away from Luis. Instead she grabs my arm. "I just ate a cookie. I'll throw up." 

"You'll toss up the cookie?" Portman snorts, but yet again Fulton is silencing him with a tired gaze. "Uh, never mind." 

"The rest of us are going," Luis points out. "You rather be by yourself?" 

"Yeah," she whimpers. "I don't feel so good." 

We get inside, and it's a lot darker there. It is sort of creepy, but it's not for real, so it's not that bad. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway. 

"This is so cool!" Julie squeaks and drags Jeff along towards the stairs. "Are you coming?" 

I try to move to, but realize the Cecilia is holding my shirt. She's looking around worriedly. I try to pull free, but she won't let me go. 

Charlie joins us. "Having trouble?" he says and smiles. "It's sort of creepy, isn't it?" Thank you, that was the last thing I needed to hear. 

"Get her off me," I mutter. 

"You brought her in here, you get her out," Charlie laughs. Then he turns to Cecilia. "Let go of Adam now. You can go back." 

I join Ken instead, away from both Cecilia and Charlie. "This is cool!" he shouts. "Did you watch that program?" 

"Yeah, we all did," I point out. He's talking about the Twilight Zone-episode they were showing right after we walked into the building. 

"They could use this as a ghost-house!" Ken continues. "Like two birds with one…" 

"I think they already have a ghost-house," I interrupt. 

"Let's go there!" Ken cheers and hurries up to Connie. Yeah, they're much more suitable to hang out together. 

The noise from the ride is almost deafening. The screaming people, the squealing of the elevator. I start to feel a bit anxious. 

"Oh, I knew this was a bad idea," Guy winces. "I hate this." 

"I thought you only had a problem with things that go round and round," I say, hearing Ken singing somewhere up front. "This goes straight down. And then up again. And down." 

Guy looks at me. "I have problem with things that moves really fast. Cars, airplanes, Dumbo, elevators," he explains and bite his nails. "Especially elevators that are from hell!" 

Connie comes and drags him along again, and I laugh when he mouths 'help me'. I just shrug. It will be over in less then five minutes anyway. 

Fulton taps me on the shoulder. "Where's Portman?" 

I bet he's terrorizing a certain person to go on the ride. "I think he's somewhere behind us. Don't worry, he'll show up." 

Fulton rolls his eyes. "I'm not worried about that. I'm worried that he'll got us all thrown out of here." 

"Wouldn't be the first time," I smile. Portman got us thrown out of McDonald's once, for 'unknown reasons' he claimed. I bet he made a move on one of the cashiers. 

"So, what's the deal with Julie and Jeff?" Fulton asks. "Are they flirting?" 

"Otherwise they're being way too friendly with each other," I grin. "Leave them alone, we could need some happy people around." 

Fulton suddenly looks sad. I want to say something, but I have no idea what. His mood is probably not caused by the fact that he's out of gummy-bears. 

"There you are!" Portman howls. He pushes past at least ten strangers to get to us and they all objects loudly. Especially since he has a long tail of friends following him. "Ah, can it, people. You'll be there soon anyway!" 

"Don't tell an angry mob to 'can it'," Fulton suggests. 

Portman has dragged Cee along too. Poor girl. She really doesn't want to go on this ride. Now she looks beyond worried. It's more like terrifying fear. 

Charlie nods at me. "I thought you'd gone already," he says. 

"Nah, Julie, Jeff and Connie cut in line." 

"So, we can all go together, I guess," Charlie replies. Is he actually talking to me, or is he just ignoring in a very strange way? 

"I guess," I answer. 

The noise is really close now, with the screams and the dropping elevator. Every time there's a screeching sound from the ride, Cecilia twitches and mumbles something under her breath. I know she's not religious, but I somehow believe it's God she's talking to. 

"If you don't want to go, there's a door right there," I point. She doesn't even look up. 

"Leave her alone, she's going!" Portman shouts. "Everyone is going." 

"Not if they don't want to," Charlie objects. "That's not fair." 

"Fair my ass, no one on the team is a coward, right?" Portman goes on. 

Fulton jumps into the conversation. "That's enough, it's got nothing to do with the team. There must be something you're scared of too, am I right?" 

Is it just me, or is the silence that occurs really awkward? "I just meant…" Portman says after a while. 

"I really don't want to," Cecilia mumbles. "I… Need to get out. I really need to… not be here right now." 

I've never seen anyone that afraid before. The others must've seen it too. She turns around and runs to the door I pointed at earlier. She can't get it open at once, so she begins to panic. 

"Go help her," Charlie orders Portman. "This is all your fault." 

Both Luis and Portman go over to help her with the door. 

"Uh, it's not called the Tower of Terror for nothing!" Russ points out. "Is that a puppet?" 

I shake my head. "No, Russ, that's a small child." 

"Looks like a puppet," he says quietly. 

Somehow I forget about stupid Portman and his new victim. I've never been on this ride before, and I'm not standing in line for it again! No way. 

"This is so cool!" I hear Ken yell from somewhere. At least he's not singing about the bus. 

*** 

**Portman's POV**

Cecilia disappears so fast down the stairs that I don't have the chance to ask her if she's okay. Not like I care… Maybe a little. I'm just about to turn around and go back in line when Luis shows up. 

"Go after her!" 

"Me? What did I do?" 

I decide to not argue about it. I guess I could go after her. Maybe tease her some more? Yeah, that seems fair. 

Luis follows me down the stairs, and we can hear Cecilia's steps somewhere below us. "Tell her to wait up!" I mutter to Luis. "I hate to run in stairs." 

"You tell her!" he growls back. 

I see Cecilia throw herself at the door to get out. She's not able to get that door open either. That girl has like…no strength at all. I go up to her and put my hand on the door to push it open. She runs out into the sunshine and lean against the wall. 

"Are you okay?" I ask. "You really shouldn't run like that, it's bad for your health." 

She doesn't answer, so I decide to be nicer. "Maybe the Tower of Terror just isn't for you. We could go back to that elephant-dude instead." 

Luis elbows me and it sort of hurts. "Shut up, you're making it worse," he exclaims and put his hand on Cecilia's shoulder. "How are you?" 

Now I feel bad, because my intention wasn't to freak her out. Okay, maybe a little, but how was I to know that she was _that_ afraid of heights? 

Luis is much more of a caretaker then I am, so I leave the soothing and stuff to him. People who are that upset makes me uncomfortable. 

There are a few workers beside the exit that comes walking towards us to see if Cecilia's okay. I sigh. All that fuss just because someone's afraid of heights? 

I guess she's really shaken up, because she's still hyperventilating. And, she's actually shaking too. 

I still don't get what Fulton meant with his stupid comment. Was it supposed to be sarcasm or irony or something? I can never keep sarcasm and irony apart. It wasn't called for anyway, I'm the bravest guy there is. 

I guess we need to talk. That's the point he's trying to get me to see. Sometimes I need to be hit over the head with something heavy to see anyone's point. 

I realize that I'm left all by myself. Where did the others go? 

"Are you going to just stand there, or what?" Luis yells from somewhere. 

"No, I'm trying to find out where you are. Where are you?" 

So, I managed to drive Psycho into an anxiety attack. I almost feel bad. I would feel worse if she hadn't puked all over my shoes. 

Now I have to tag along to the Mickey Mouse-hospital. Damn Goofy to force us to go there. She's fine now!

***

"They're just going to check your blood-pressure," I mutter. 

"I don't like hospitals," Cecilia whines and rolls up her sleeve. "I'll scream if they drain blood." 

"You always scream anyway," I point out. What am I doing here with Psycho and Nut-Case? It can't just be because I feel guilty for forcing her to go on that ride, can it? 

"They won't find anything wrong with you, we'll be out of her before you know it!" Luis snaps his fingers. "You just wait." 

"I AM waiting," Cecilia hisses. "What if they find anything?" 

"Unless they're looking for cooties, they won't find a damn thing," I spit out. "You're not on drugs, are you?" 

Cecilia gives me a hostile look. "No!" 

"Any medication?" Luis tries to help out. He receives the same stare. 

I decide to answer for her, just to be funny. "Birth-control pills count too. Did you take yours last night?" 

Luis shakes his head violently, and Cecilia kicks my leg. "Shut up!" 

"Well, did you?" I go on. 

"I don't use that!" 

"You're not pregnant, are you? Maybe that's why you were feeling ill earlier. And why you threw up, that was disgusting, by the way." 

"I'm not pregnant!" she mutters. 

"You sure?" I ask. "You're clearly not using your pills." 

Luis slaps my arm. "Cut it out, Portman." 

"I know, because..." Cecilia clears her throat. "I'm sort of... You know... No sex." 

I snort out a laugh. "You're a virgin?" 

"Yeah, so what if I'm a virgin?!" she bellows, and everyone outside of the room looks in through the glass-windows and stares at us. 

"I just figured you and Fred..." I try to cover up. 

"Well, that really didn't work out," she mumbles, and now I know she's uncomfortable. I should quit it before she starts to cry or throw things. 

"Okay," Luis interrupts. "That's not really..." 

"Did you try?" I can interrupt too! "I can't believe you've never done it. You're like the slut of the team!" 

"Hey!" she shouts. "What do you know about it?" 

I laugh. "Lots, baby, lots." 

"Oh yeah, please tell us," Cecilia barks. 

"No, don't," Luis whimpers. 

I don't know what she's doing, really. "Uh, well..." 

"Eh, what do you know?" she mutters and jumps down from the bed. "You're gay." 

I feel how the world gets dizzy all of a sudden. "Uh..." I say, but I can't speak. The words are stuck in my throat. Luis looks at me with a bewildered expression in his eyes. 

I decide to fix Cecilia first. I grab her shirt and hauls her off her feet. "How did you know that?" I ask her. 

"I saw you two make out in the locker-room after practice," she explains and wipes my spit away from her face. "Could you put me down, please?" 

I gasp for air and sit down on the bed. Now I need to check MY blood-pressure! Cecilia turns to Luis. "But don't say anything, it's supposed to be a secret." 

"Sure," Luis agrees and puts his hand on my shoulder. "Sorry for the abrupt awakening. You shouldn't have questioned her use of protection." 

I watch as they both leave the room. "I'm not gay!" I shout, and everyone outside turns to stare again. I look at the nurse in the doorway. "I'm not." 

"Okay, sir."

I wait until Luis and Cecilia disappears around the corner. Then I moan loudly, and the nurse sneaks away. Well, they could at least send in a cute male nurse! I'm suffering here!


	12. The Third Wheel

the uploading continues! No, actually, this is it for tonight. I'm wiped out from all this formatting…anyway, more soon. don't forget to review!

disclaimer: see previous chapter for the whole drill.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
**Chapter 12: The Third Wheel  
By NYgoldfish54**

Sammie's POV

I feel like the third wheel. I think it may be because I _am_ the third wheel.

I wanted to spend the day with Julie and make friends with her, because Lex and Jeff had warned me that I'd better be nice to the other girls. Plus, when I talked to Julie, I genuinely liked her. Connie seems nice too, as does Cecilia, but Connie's _way _too hyper and Cecilia's _way_ too not. I have a funny feeling that Cecilia's pissed that Lex and Fred just sort of left. I don't really blame Fred for not wanting to spend more time with Anna and me than he has to. After all, we were practically trying to kill him with brooms yesterday. But I digress.

So I genuinely liked Julie. I really did, and I don't genuinely like many people at all. For example, Portman seems to be quite the idiot, but seems to have calmed down a bit since he got back from the Disney World doctors with Cecilia and Luis. But anyway, I did like Julie. I think the only other people I genuinely like may be Matt, Jeff, Lex, Anna, Chris, and Anthony...although, with the exception of Portman, who seems to be on a mission to torture Cecilia, the Ducks seem alright.

Yeah, ok, I am starting this third wheel thought again for the third time. I did genuinely like Julie when I talked to her and I figured I'd spend the day getting to know her. Ever hear the expression 'two's company, three's a crowd?' Well, there's some truth to it when you're dealing with potential sexual partners. I was thinking of spending the day talking to Julie, but I wasn't counting on Jeff thinking the same thing. Since Julie finds Jeff more attractive in a sexual way, I ended up being the squeaky third wheel. 

She sat next to him on the Haunted Mansion ride with the only two people per car thing…and she squealed quite a bit, I might add. But I think it had more to do with Jeff holding her hand than her being scared. Anyway, she sat with him on the Haunted Mansion, the 'It's a Small World' ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, in between Jeff and me and the Country Bear Jamboree, next to him on the Tower of Terror, and so on and so forth. I can't understand why she kept saying for me to grab the seat behind them, or the seat on her other side. Wouldn't it be easier if they were just alone? I mean, I wouldn't mind. Sure I'm a bit jealous that I'm not getting much attention, but I'll blame Jeff and holler at him later. I would talk to Anna, but she seems pretty occupied with Averman at the moment. He's making her laugh.

I actually got to know Dwayne at the Country Bear Jamboree and Pirates of the Caribbean. He sat on my other side…ya know, the side Julie wasn't on. He tipped his cowboy hat, helped me in and out of the Pirates of the Caribbean boat, held the door to get inside the Country Bear Jamboree, and called me a 'pretty lady.' I was actually quite thrilled. He's sweet, a real gentleman. You don't find many of those in New York. Sure, Anthony, Chris, Matt, and Jeff are nice guys, but I doubt you could call any of them a gentleman. If I ask Matt to hold the door, he says 'hold it yourself,' and walks off…but that could be because he knows me and loves me like a sister and enjoys pissing me off and seeing me suffer. If some lady randomly asked him, I bet Matt would hold the door. He's kind to his grandmother, to us most of the time, and total strangers. Other than that, he doesn't really let it show too much. Yeah, but thinking about Matt is making me kind of sick, so back to Jeff and Julie. Isn't it interesting how thoughts work? One thing leads to another, and to another, and to another…oh right, Jeff and Julie.

We're at MGM now, hunting for Lex and Fred. We're a mass of people just walking calling out 'Lex' or 'Fred' every so often. The others want dinner and we can't find those two and we can't leave without them. I am, of course, walking on Julie's other side, listening to her and Jeff flirt shamelessly. Fulton, I think his name is, is walking on my other side.

"They should have angel punch bowls at weddings that pee liquor," Jeff was saying. Where the hell did this conversation come from? I was only lost in my thoughts for five minutes, and before they were talking about frogs! From the look on Fulton next to me, he's listening and wondering the same thing.

"Tasteful," Julie giggles, "but I don't think the angels would really be pleased."

"Why not?" Jeff asks.

"Well, would you want someone sucking off you for your liquor?" Julie asks, having really no idea how dirty she sounds to people passing by with little children.

"Hey, if someone's sucking off me, I'm not complaining," Jeff says. Julie giggles again.

A mother hurries past our teenage mass (particularly Fulton, me, Jeff, and Julie), covering her daughter's ears. The girl looks to be about five. The mother was saying, "Typical teenage boy. I'm so glad I have a girl, what a dirt bag that one is, talking about things like that in public, in Disney World of all places, with all young, innocent children around…"

Fulton catches my eye and we both nearly die laughing. Jeff and Julie can't figure out what's so funny.

"For…get…it," I pant, leaning on Fulton for support, and wiping tears of mirth out of my eyes.

"There you two are!" Charlie says from ahead. "We've been looking all over for you!" I look up and see Lex and Fred making their way from the exit of some ride. They're both laughing, but when Lex sees the look on Cee's face (and it's a murderous look, by the way), she stops. But I have a sneaky suspicion that Cee was glaring at Fred more than Lex. 

"We've just been going through the rides and stuff," Lex says quickly. "Sorry if you guys couldn't find us."

"We want diner," Luis says. "Lex, where can we eat?"

"Why does everyone look to me? Why doesn't anyone ask Matt, or Anna, or Jeff?" Lex asks. "Jeff's not helpless, he can do things for himself."

Hmm, should I? I look at Fulton as if to ask, and he nods, grinning.

"He's too busy talking dirty with Julie!" I call. Fulton and I both laugh again as Jeff throws us an evil look and Julie blushes. Jeff's going to kill me later, where there are no witnesses.

"Oh, well in that case…Jeff, tell me about it later," says Lex, grinning. Jeff shoots her an icy glare and Lex continues. "So dinner…hmm, well, let's go find some place to eat."

The restaurant we chose was a small one called the 50's Prime Time Cafe. It's a place where we eat in the kitchen of our favorite 50's sitcom and watch TV clips from the shows.

Fulton and I sat down next to each other, and I notice Julie and Jeff take the seats on the other end of the table. It's probably safer for them to talk down there without Fulton and me eavesdropping and then telling everyone the embarrassing things they'd said later.

Fulton and I consulted the menu and decided on the same thing: a cheeseburger, hold the onions, with a chocolate milkshake. Everyone orders, and the waitress asks what 50's TV clip we'd like to watch. 

"I Love Lucy," Fulton and I spit out at once, before anyone else can get a word in edgewise. 

The waitress smiles and says, "A classic." She puts on the episode where Lucy does the Vitameatavegamin commercial. 

"I love this episode!" Fulton says to me.

"Me too! I practically know it by heart!" I exclaim.

"Really! Me too!" he says excitedly. Then he says, "Do you pop out at parties?"

And I answer, "Are you unpoopular?" 

We both crack up laughing, while everyone else is giving us funny looks. Portman especially looks annoyed, but I see this as an added bonus. He was being a jerk before. I glance at the boy next to me. I genuinely like this guy sitting next to me. Maybe Julie has actually done me a favor by sitting with Jeff. I may get to know this guy instead. I think me and Fulton Reed might get along.

As the episode continues and we recite the lines, everyone around us is getting more and more annoyed.

"SHUT-UP BOTH OF YOU! WE'D LIKE TO HEAR THE EPISODE FOR OURSELVES, THANKS!" Goldberg finally roars.

Fulton and I look at each other, and we laugh again. Yeah, I think we're gonna get along just fine. 


	13. Nasty Looks and Poor Performances

hey all! here's chapter 13. it's quite long, so go to the bathroom before you start. review for us, ok?

-Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: The Ducks, as well as Disney world and everything in it, belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia are Cimmy's. Lex, Jeff, Matt, Anthony, Anna, Sammie, and Chris are NYgoldfish54's. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-***  
Chapter 13: Nasty Looks and Poor Performances  
By Cimmy**

Charlie's POV

It's actually quite nice to be back from Disney World. No more lines or hectic people, besides from Connie who is still bouncing off the walls. 

We all agreed to stay together tonight, to avoid losing people like, hmm, last night. I'll kill myself if anyone else gets drunk or disappears. I promised my Mommy for God's sake! 

There are other things to do at this place other then going to the club or play arcade games. At least I think so. Since everyone already ate at Disney World, we decided to skip the dinner and just meet at the dance-floor. Well, not exactly ON the dance-floor, but in the same area. 

Portman is already there when I arrive. He's occupying a whole couch, plus several chairs, by lying straight across them. It looks pretty funny. 

"Hey, Bash Bro," I say. "Where are the others?" 

"Bitching and moaning somewhere," Portman answers with a grin. "Actually, everyone's really upbeat since we got back. It's not as much fun when we get along." 

Portman refused to tell me what happened after they disappeared from the Tower of Terror except that they took Cecilia to see the park doctor. But when they got back, both Luis and Cecilia were surprisingly cheerful. Portman on the other hand looked like he'd swallowed a bowling ball. 

"No more terrorizing?" I ask. 

"Nah, I'm tired. Maybe tomorrow," he grins wider. Not the same Portman who almost drowned himself when we went on Splash Mountain one more time. His depressions always pass just as fast as they come. 

"I knew you'd be here," Fred says and sits down in the couch. Portman moves while giving Fred a cold stare. "Averman told me that you were going to be here. Hey, where did you guys go?" 

"The question must be where YOU two went," I mutter. "I distinctly remember you promising to meet up with Cecilia later. You know, that crazy Latina you sometimes refer to as your girlfriend. Or did you forget?" 

Fred just shrugs and grabs Lex's arm to pull her down on the couch. "I called her." 

I decide to stay out of it, the same goes for the annoying bickering between Fred and Lex. I definitely stop listening when they begin throwing candy at each other. Although when Lex reaches for my glass of Coke, I have to put my foot down.

"No throwing," I warn her. "We're in a room with furniture. Not in a barn." 

The bickering continues, so I get up to look for the others. "We should order drinks," Connie suggests. She's right behind me, talking to no one in particular. 

"Why?" I ask. 

"We'll feel older then we really are! Cool, huh?" 

"No drinks," I tell her. "Unless you want your parents to find out." 

"Spoil-sport," she mutters, but then she smiles again. "How but non-alcoholic?" 

"What's the fun in that?" Fulton interrupts. He looks like he hasn't slept in three days. 

Connie grabs his arm and leads him to 'our' couch. I hear her shriek when she sees Fred and Lex. "Oh my God! I have so much to tell you guys!"

More people come stumbling in through the doors, and soon we're all gathered around the couch. Just like those guys in 'Friends'! Don't know why that thought popped into my mind all of a sudden...

"So, when is this concert supposed to take place anyway?" Julie asks. I think the question is directed at Jeff, but everyone else answers.

"This Saturday," Sammie explains, louder then the rest. "We have rehearsal tomorrow morning..."

"You do?" Julie interrupts, looking upset that she has to be apart from Jeff for a minute or longer.

"Yeah, but only between eight and ten. You will be asleep!" Jeff points out. "If you want to, you can come along."

"That would be cool," Julie says. "Can I?"

"I thought we were going to the beach tomorrow," Connie reminds her. "You know, sun and water and all that!"

Julie shrugs. "We can go later, after ten, right?"

"I guess..." Connie looks at Guy, and he shrugs too.

The big deal about this is lost on me. What's so special about the beach? We've only been here two days, there's still time to go to the beach! "We can all go when you have finished up at your rehearsal," I offer. "We're not in a rush to get anywhere."

"Damn right about that," Fulton mutters and gives Portman an evil look. What...? Oh, I'm not even going to ask about this one.

"That sounds great!" Sammie exclaims. Thank you, at least someone appreciate my efforts!

Connie jumps up. "We could go water skiing, I've always wanted to do that!"

Her energy is finally rubbing off on some people. Ken jumps up too. "Yeah, me too!"

"Sing one line about a bus, and I'll punch you out," Russ smiles. "But the beach sounds like a great idea."

While we keep talking about the beach, Connie leans over the armrest and takes something from the table next to us. "Look!" she shouts, scaring us all. "They have KARAOKE! We have to sign up for this!"

"No way in stinkin' hell we are," Guy howls. "No way!"

"Just because you can't sing," Connie pouts. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"No one here can sing," I say. "We're hockey-players, not singers."

" Really? I thought you were the choir," Jeff smiles.

"I think it's a splendid idea!" Sammie says. "I'll sign us up."

"No!" most of us Ducks yell.

Connie gets up to help Sammie, and I don't have time to grab her and put a leash on her. Damn.

"I've never sung before in my entire life!" Fulton whines. "I refuse to do it."

"Yeah, me too!" Russ says.

I'm not a big fan of this idea either. I know for a fact that I can't sing, and Connie is pretty much the only one of us who can sing a note. Except for Portman, for some reason he knows how to sing too, but the rest of us suck. Really, truly stink.

The girls leave to see where Sammie and Connie went, and hopefully to talk them out of it. The rest of us try to come up with diseases we can claim to suffer from, to get out of the karaoke thing.

"So, who wants to go first?" Portman asks. He's really enjoying himself now, when he knows how much agony we're in. "Fred?"

"Why me?"

"Oh, I don't know," Portman begins and holds up the folder where the songs are listed. "I read that they have 'K.C. & The Sunshine Band'. You know that song, right? 'Get Down Tonight'?"

"I thought you were too tired to terrorize," I point out, knowing what's to come.

"Nah, I changed my mind," Portman grins, still looking at Fred. "You probably know the lyrics too, I assume."

Fred looks both suicidal and vicious. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can sing it to you," Portman offers. "But you probably know what I mean anyway. You've been all over Lex since we got here, it's pretty obvious that it is what you want..."

"No..." Fred mutters.

"Do a little dance," Portman starts to sing. Now he's being very cruel. "Make a little love..."

"It's not like that! You don't know what you're talking about!" Fred growls.

"...get down tonight, ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo. And do the things, that we like to do." The singing doesn't stop until Connie shows up.

"What are you singing? Have you begun without us?" she asks and leaps over my legs and falls on Portman. That shuts him up.

"I was just warming up," Portman explains and smiles at Fred. Fred, on the other hand, is clearly plotting how to kill Portman.

The rest of the girls show up a minute later. "We're all signed up now!" Julie cheers.

"I didn't know you could sing," Adam laughs.

"I can't!" she exclaims and takes her place next to Jeff.

"I'll help you," Jeff offers with a smile, and the rest of us snicker.

"Aww," Portman goes on. "Maybe we should sing YOU the song?"

Jeff gives him a nasty stare. I decide to kick Portman on the leg, but he kicks back.

"Okay, that's enough, guys," Connie gives us a serious look. "No fighting. Now, I hope you know some of these songs, because it's almost time to start!"

I look at my watch. The karaoke starts at ten, and it's only half past nine. "Connie, it's thirty minutes to go, calm down." 

The band performing on stage changes songs and Lex leaps up. "I know how dance to this song," she announces.

"Congratulations," we all say at the same time.

"No, seriously, I know how to dance to this song!" she repeats. Then she looks at me. "Wanna dance?"

"No," I whimper. "I don't know how to dance."

"Jeff, come on!" Lex continues.

"Ask Fred," Cecilia says, surprising us all. "He knows how to dance."

"You do?" Lex sounds genuinely surprised about that. "Come on then."

Fred looks at Cecilia. "Do you wanna dance?"

"No, not really," she answers.

"Okay then."

Lex drags Fred off to the dance floor, and I worry about how the hell I'm going to manage to sing anything without breaking both windows and glasses.

***

****

Russ's POV

Since I refuse to sing, no matter how much Connie entices me with candy and food, I have to listen to the others crow their poor little hearts out. Before the Ducks are up, there's this lady who's practically butchering the song 'I Will Always Love You' and we all suffer.

"You have to sing!" Connie goes on, pulling my arm so hard I think she's going to dislocate it.

"He doesn't want to," Charlie saves me. "You shouldn't force him."

"He wants to!" Connie explains. "He's just shy."

I laugh. "No, Connie, I actually do NOT want to." She pouts a little. That only works on Guy, girl. I don't fall for tricks like that.

"Wanna bet?" she asks.

"Yes, let's bet," I say. "I could use some money for the slot-machine outside."

"You're not twenty-one!"

"And you are a very annoying creature," I sigh.

Portman jumps up on the table, getting angry glimpses from the waitresses. "We should make it a contest!"

"Why?" Jeff asks.

Portman shakes his head. "To make things more interesting, of course! Aren't you competitive?"

The band-people all shake their heads. Well, they sure haven't met us before, that's for sure. Everything is a contest for us, which is probably why we fight so much.

"Let's say that the person singing have to decide who is going to sing next, and what song," Portman says. "And if a person refuse for any sort of reason, he or she have to pay twenty dollars."

"Five!" Charlie objects. "We're not millionaires!" He looks at Fred, Adam and Lex. "Well, not most of us."

"That sounds fair," Connie says thoughtfully. "Who wants to go first?"

We all look around. Of course no one wants to go first. "I think Charlie should!" I blurt out. "He's the captain!"

"No way," he groans. "I'm not..."

"Five bucks," Portman reminds him.

"That's not fair!" Charlie gasps. He search his pockets. "I don't have that kind of money."

"So, you're next then," Connie giggles. "Who gets the money in the end?"

"Let's buy food for it!" Ken yells. Everyone looks at him. "What, I happen to be hungry!"

"We can all vote on what we thought was the best performance," Julie suggests. "And the winner buys everyone candy!"

"Yeah!" Kenny shouts. No more sugar there, please.

The hostess comes up to us. "Do we have singer among you?"

"Yep, his name is Charlie Conway, he's a Leo, and born in Minneapolis..."

"It's not a personal ad," Charlie hisses at Connie. Then he looks at the microphone. "You wouldn't by any change have five dollars I could borrow?" he asks the woman in front of him. She just smiles and shakes her head.

"What song will you be singing, sir?"

Charlie just shrugs, but Connie already knows, of course. "This one!" she holds out the paper with the selected songs. "It will suit perfectly!"

Charlie looks like a frightened squirrel, while waiting for the lyrics to show on the big screen by the scene. Then he shakes his head. "No way, I'm not doing it!"

We all start to cheer and clap our hands, while trying not to laugh ourselves to death. "What song did you pick?" Adam asks Connie.

"Oh, it was the one called 'Centerfold'. You know, since he's a center."

Charlie doesn't even try to sing the right words. I don't think he knows the song, and if he do, he's hiding it pretty well.

"Start singing!" Adam yells at him, and we begin chanting the same words. Poor Charlie.

"Does she walk? Does she talk? Does she come complete?" Charlie mumbles in the microphone.

"That's not singing, that's talking really low," Portman points out.

"My homeroom homeroom angel, always pulled me from my seat," Charlie continues, just as low. We can't shout at him anymore, because we're laughing too much.

Charlie keeps singing/talking with a painful expression on his face. Oh, we're all so dead at the next practice.

"She was pure like snowflakes  
No one could ever stain  
The memory of my angel  
Could never cause me pain

Years go by I'm lookin' through a girly magazine  
And there's my homeroom angel on the pages in-between

My blood runs cold  
My memory has just been sold  
My angel is the centerfold  
Angel is the centerfold

Slipped me notes under the desk  
While I was thinkin' about her dress  
I was shy I turned away  
Before she caught my eye  
I was shakin' in my shoes  
Whenever she flashed those baby-blues  
Something had a hold on me  
When angel passed close by  
Those soft and fuzzy sweaters  
Too magical to touch  
Too see her in that negligee  
Is really just too much"

Charlie gives up after that, and refuses to sing the last verse. He even stomps when he goes back to the table. "I'm going to kill you all!" he announces and sits down with his arms crossed. "I say that Banksie sings the next song!" he yells.

Well, I guess Adam pretty much saw that one coming. We try to be nicer to him, but it's almost impossible to not laugh when he's being forced to sing 'Basket Case' by 'Green Day'. He blushes every time he has to say words like 'sex' or 'stoned'. He even stops singing at one point and shouts "I'm NOT singing that!"

Pure entertainment.

When Adam finally comes back, he throws the mic at Connie. "You do it, Miss Perky. And you can bring Mr. Perky along too!" he says fiercely.

"Why me?" Guy sobs. "What did I do?"

"You're just breathing too loud," Adam mutters and sits down. Wow, he's really not in a good mood. I better keep him and Charlie apart so there won't be any blood on this nice couch.

"What should we sing?" Connie asks and grabs Guy by the hand to drag him up to the dance-floor.

"Oh, I got the perfect song for you, Bouncy McBounce," Adam smirks. "Oh, and enjoy, Guy."

"I still don't know what I did!" Guy howls to Connie when he's being dragged away.

Connie jumps excitedly. "Oh, I love this song!"

"Well, I bloody hate it," Guy snorts. "I want to break up!"

"Later, honey," Connie smiles. "We have to sing first!"

Guy looks so tortured that we all laugh just because of that. He refuses to accept the extra mic he's being given by the hostess. Connie just rolls her eyes and starts to sing.

"I've got my finger on the phone  
I never thought it'd take me so long  
Girl, don't ever let them put you down  
Don't ever let them push you around  
Crush, and all the thing I've left behind  
And when I started think of to be another time  
I'll never mind  
And I am

I'm Electric  
I just want to dance  
I'm Electric  
I just want to dance  
I wanna be loved by you

And when the night is closing in  
Can you hear me calling within  
Crush, and all the things I've left behind  
And when we take the stage tonight you'll be on my mind  
Yes, you'll be the one  
And I am

Electric  
I just want to dance  
Electric  
I just want to dance  
I wanna be loved by you

And when we take the stage tonight you'll be on my mind  
Yes, you'll be the one

I'm Electric  
I just want to dance  
I'm Electric  
I just want to dance  
I wanna be loved by you"

Guy throws his mic at the table when he's finally left off the stage. Connie is still bouncing, trying to be electric, I think. Guy's more of a lightning right now.

The mic change hands a couple of more times. I refuse and have to pay up. Dwayne does too. Connie forces Ken to sing 'I Want Candy'. I've never seen anything so ridiculous in my entire life. I'm still laughing.

When Adam is forced to sing one more time, he's not happy when he's done. He looks around in search for his next victim, and he spots poor Cecilia. I think it's some sort of payback. I don't know what it's about. Cecilia refuses too.

"Well, pay up!" Portman bellows. "You have to!"

"I don't have that on me," she explains. "Can I borrow?"

"That's cheating! Cheater!" Portman shrieks, but chokes on a peanut. When he's done coughing, he jumps down from the couch. "I'll sing with you!"

"Oh, joy," Cecilia mutters. "I'd rather be a cheater."

Luis suddenly stands up and leans in to whisper something in her ear. She grins widely and grabs the mic. "You're on."

"What song?" Portman asks Adam.

"'Let me entertain you'," he says.

"Yeah, you already did that," Portman points out. "What song should WE sing?"

"The song that's called 'Let Me Entertain You'," Adam hisses, still not back from his trip to mopy-land.

Cecilia objects, but Portman seems happy. "I know that one! Grab your mic, Psycho."

"Idiot," she mutters back.

Portman shoves her up on stage and waves at her to start sing. She doesn't move, so he begins.

"Hell is gone and heaven's here  
There's nothing left for you to fear  
Shake your ass come over here  
Now scream  
I'm a burning effigy  
Of everything I used to be  
You're my rock of empathy, my dear"

"You know this song, we sang it at Christmas!" Portman yells at Cecilia while the chorus is heard. "Sing!"

Cecilia puts the mic to her face and sighs. She IS the master of speed-talking, so this shouldn't be a problem for her.

"Life's too short for you to die  
So grab yourself an alibi  
Heaven knows your mother lied  
Mon cher  
Separate your right from wrongs  
Come and sing a different song  
The kettle's on so don't be long  
Mon cher"

"Yeah, now you're getting somewhere," Portman cheers and jump down from stage. Then he grabs her leg and yanks her down too. She's both laughing and screaming at the same time.

"Look me up in the yellow pages  
I will be your rock of ages  
Your see through fads and your crazy phases yeah

Little Bo Peep has lost his sheep  
He popped a pill and fell asleep  
The dew is wet but the grass is sweet my dear"

Portman takes a leap up on stage again and then down. He's like a kangaroo. Cecilia is just laughing. He somehow manages to get her to sing with him for the rest of the song.

"Your mind gets burned  
With the habits you've learned  
But we're the generation that's got to be heard  
You're tired of your teachers and your school's a drag  
You're not going to end up like your mum and dad

So come on let me entertain you  
Let me entertain you  
Let me entertain you

He may be good he may be outta sight  
But he can't be here so come around tonight  
Here is the place where the feeling grows  
You gotta get high before you taste the lows  
So come on

Let me entertain you  
Let me entertain you  
So come on let me entertain you  
Let me entertain you"

Portman dumps her down in the couch when they're finished. We're trying to stop laughing, but it's really hard!

"So, who's going to sing now?" Charlie smiles, wiping away a tear from his cheek. "Not like that wasn't priceless enough."

"Oh, I can already taste the candy," Portman snickers. Then he sits down.

"Why are you resting, you're up next!" Cecilia throws her mic at him.

"I just sang!" he objects.

"Five bucks," she tells him. "But you're no coward, are you?"

"Of course not, I'll do it just to prove to you all that I rule," he grins and gets up again. "Gimme my song."

Cecilia is looking quite devilish when she points in the folder. "That one is yours. All yours."

Portman shakes his head. "No way. Anything but that one, I won't do it."

"Uh-oh, the pool just went up," Luis interrupts. "Now the fee is twenty dollars."

"But I don't have twenty dollars!" Portman looks pale and worried. "You can't do this!"

"What's the big deal, don't you know the song?" Cecilia asks sweetly.

Portman whimpers and sobs violently. "But..."

"Next time, maybe you won't push people to their breaking point, right?"

Portman sighs and walk backwards to the stage. "You won't be alive for that," he yells. Then he puts his nose into the paper and won't look up.

We all begin to laugh the minute he opens his mouth. Oh, this one is definitely going to be a classic tale to tell your grandchildren about!

"I'm coming out  
I want the world to know  
Got to let it show  
I'm coming out  
I want the world to know  
I got to let it show

There's a new me coming out  
And I just had to live  
And I wanna give  
I'm completely positive  
I think this time around  
I am gonna do it  
Like you never do it  
Like you never knew it  
Ooh, I'll make it through

The time has come for me  
To break out of the shell  
I have to shout  
That I'm coming out 

I'm coming out  
I want the world to know  
Got to let it show  
I'm coming out  
I want the world to know  
I got to let it show

I've got to show the world  
All that I wanna be  
And all my abilities  
There's so much more to me  
Somehow, I have to make them  
Just understand  
I got it well in hand  
And, oh, how I've planned  
I'm spreadin' love  
There's no need to fear  
And I just feel so glad  
Everytime I hear:

I'm coming out  
I want the world to know  
Got to let it show  
I'm coming out  
I want the world to know  
I got to let it show"

Portman is a raging rhino when he's done. I'm not the only one crying with laughter. What was all that about?

Portman looks like he's considering throwing the mic at Fulton, but changes his mind and turns to Fred instead. "You sing," he says. "No fee, you have to sing, or I'll kick your ass."

"Wouldn't be the first time this week," Lex adds. She probably should've shut up.

"You can sing too," Portman winks at her. "Now."

"Hello, Portman, do you remember why you're here in Florida? You want me to sing? No problem," she says.

Fred trips over the table and almost falls over Cecilia. "Sorry," he mumbles. Then he takes the microphone and grabs Lex's hand to keep her from sneaking away.

Portman throws the song lyrics at them. At first I think he's done something as evil as giving them that 'Get Down Tonight' song, but he hasn't. Fred looks surprised too. After a second I think something dawns on him and he looks really tired when he begins singing.

"I tried to discover a little something to make me sweeter  
Oh baby refrain from breaking my heart  
I'm so in love with you  
I'll be forever blue  
That you give me no reason, you know you're making me work so hard  
That you give me no . . . Soul  
I hear you calling  
Oh baby please give a little respect to me

And if I should falter, would you open your arms out to me?  
We can make love not war, and live in peace with our hearts  
I'm so in love with you, I'll be forever blue  
What religion or reason could drive a man to forsake his lover?  
Don't you tell me no. . . Soul  
I hear you calling  
Oh baby please, give a little respect to me

I'm so in love with you  
I'll be forever blue  
That you give me no reason  
You know you're making me work so hard  
That you give me no – soul  
I hear you calling  
Oh baby, please give a little respect to me  
Oh baby, please give a little respect to me"

"Was that about him, or her?" Charlie whispers to me. I shrug. Like I ever know what those people mean.

Lex comes rushing back. She doesn't seem affected by the song, she's just as happy as before. Fred looks like a rain-cloud. He hits Portman over the head with the folder.

The 'game' goes on, Averman and Goldberg can't bail themselves out because they bought too many Coke's, so they had to sing 'Mambo No. 5'. I notice that I've paid twenty-five dollar to stay away from the stage.

Then we force Charlie and Adam to sing 'Bohemian Like You', and we actually get them to laugh at the insanity. Charlie is being very excited when he comes back. Connie and Sammie lean towards him to whisper something in his ear, and he just shrugs.

"Fine. Hey, Julie, it's your turn now!"

"Me?"

"Yep. And you have to sing with your buddy Jeff," Charlie smiles.

"Why?" she winces.

"Jeez, thanks," Jeff says.

"Just do it," Charlie gives her the mic. "And smile!"

Julie looks at the lyrics. "No, please, Charlie!"

"Sorry, there's no choosing," we all tell her.

Julie looks both embarrassed and mopy. "Fine, I'll sing the dumbass song."

I don't think I've ever seen anyone blush her way through an entire song. I'm so sad we didn't have a video camera with us here tonight. But I have to admit that it doesn't sound so bad when they sing together. Better then Charlie, anyway.

We knew Jeff knows how to sing, but we didn't know about Julie. Julie does know how to sing.

"I know I stand in line  
Until you think  
You have the time  
To spend an evening with me  
And if we go  
Someplace to dance  
I know that  
There's a chance  
You won't be  
Leaving with me  
Then afterwards  
We drop into  
A quiet little place  
And have a drink or two  
And then I go  
And spoil it all  
By saying something stupid  
Like "I love you"

I can see it in your eyes  
That you despise  
The same old lines  
You heard the night before

And though it's  
Just a line to you  
For me it's true  
And never seemed  
So right before

I practice every day  
To find some  
Clever lines to say  
To make the meaning  
Come through  
But then I think  
I'll wait until the  
Evening gets late  
And I'm alone with you  
  
The time is right  
Your perfume  
Fills my head  
The stars get red  
And oh the night's so blue  
And then I go  
And spoil it all  
By saying something stupid  
Like 'I love you'  
I love you"

Julie seems utterly ashamed when she returns to the table. Jeff doesn't seem to be bothered at all. There is no time for teasing, sadly, because it's almost time to pack our things together and leave.

"Are we done?" Charlie asks.

"Definitely!" Portman shouts. "Who gets the money?"

Adam looks around. "Where's Cecilia?"

Well, she was here a minute ago. I think. Actually, I haven't really seen her since Fred and Lex went up on stage. That was almost forty-five minutes ago. That's a long time to spend in the bathroom. Unless she ate the paté, because that was a disgusting dish.

"She's probably up in her room," Charlie answers without paying attention. "Anyway, should we just divide the money between us all?"

"There she is," Lex suddenly says. "Oh no."

Charlie looks up. "What do you mean, 'oh no', she's fine!" he exclaims. "Oh, no!"

I watch as Cecilia stumbles up to Adam and whispers something to him. He grabs her arm. "Have you been drinking?"

"Sort of," she murmurs. "But I have a valid reason."

"Oh yeah?" Charlie gives her a terrifying stare. "I told you to not touch any alcohol!"

"Technically, that was me," Connie points out.

It's clearly not time for talking against him, because Charlie seems pretty mad. "You're impossible."

"Oh, so now I'm the impossible one?" Cecilia mutters. "That reminds me, I haven't really sung yet, have I?"

She pushes Charlie away and climbs up on the stage. I'm not sure this is such a great idea. Cecilia grabs the mic and almost falls down, but manage to stay where she is. Then she sings, looking both hurt and angry. And she cannot sing… her voice is terrible.

"What's the sense in sharing this one and only life  
Ending up, just another lost and lonely wife   
You count up the years, and they will be filled with tears  
Love only breaks up, to start over again   
You'll get the babies, but you won't have your man   
While he is busy loving every woman that he can

Say I wanna leave a thousand times a day  
It's easier said that done, when I just can't break away  
Just can't break away

Young hearts, run free  
Never be hung up, hung up like my man and me  
My man and me  
Young hearts, to yourself be true  
Don't be no fool when loving is all there is  
I said I don't love you 

It's high time, just one crack at life  
Who we want to live in, trouble and strife  
My mind must be free, to learn all I can about me  
I'm gonna love me for the rest of my days  
Caress the babies every time they say  
Self reservation is what's really going on today

Say I wanna leave a thousand times a day  
How can I turn loose  
When you just can't break away 

Young hearts, run free  
Never be hung up, hung up like my man and me  
My man and me  
Young hearts, to yourself be true  
Don't be no fool when loving is all there is  
I said I don't love you"

She's still on the stage when Charlie decides to take her out of her misery. "I think that's enough, Cecilia. Get down from stage," he says patiently.

"I'm actually feeling more then enough. I feel really, really bad."

"I didn't know that you could drink, walk, and sing at the same time," Portman announces.

Cecilia looks at him. "I didn't know that either! What a coincident, huh?"

"Get down from stage now!" Charlie growls, but he doesn't have to raise his voice, because Cecilia loses her balance and falls down on her own. There's a loud crash and some moaning.

It's actually hilarious. Beats everything else I've seen or heard tonight. I'm so going to vote for her to get the money.

I guess too much to drink isn't as good as it might sound.

***

****

Anthony's POV

While the rest of that crazy bunch of teenagers is downstairs, I walk towards our hallway. I somehow have the feeling that the person I'm looking for is there.

I still feel sorry for punching that guy Fred. Well, I felt more sorry before I noticed how weird he treats his girlfriend. I've tried to be nice to her and apologize for punching her boyfriend, but they are both hard as stone!

I walk around the corner and find Cecilia on the floor, leaning up against the door to her room. "There you are," I say. "Everyone's looking for you."

"No, they're not," she slurs sadly. "They're having fun."

Yeah, they are, actually, but why tell her that? "So, now when I know you're not going anywhere, can we talk?" I ask her.

"I guess," she says. She looks sort of spaced out. How can someone that small drink so much so fast?

I sit down next to her and she moves away. I realize that she doesn't know me well enough to trust me when we're all alone in an empty hallway. I DID punch her boyfriend for no apparent reason. I had a reason, but SHE might not know about it, right?

"I won't do anything," I say, feeling both stupid and worried that she might consider me as violent or scary. Although I find her intimidating, so we're even. Plus, she's drunk and might attack me or yell at me. Hell, I don't know her, she might be a murderer or something.

Once again I try to talk to her. "You know, about last night," I begin.

"Please shut up," she begs. "I hate last night. I wish it could die and never come back," she rants. I don't understand half of it. Does anyone ever?

"Okay, I just want you to know that I'm sorry..."

"For punching my boyfriend so he ended up in bed with the leading lady? Why should you be?"

"Lex? You got that all wrong, Lex would never do that!" I tell her.

Cecilia shakes her head. "Maybe not, but Fred sure looks like he wants to nail her," she mutters.

"Hey, she's my friend," I warn her. "She would never be with Fred when he's with you."

She looks at me. "Hello, did you hear me? Fred's the problem, not Lex!"

"Dump him, then," I growl. "He's no good if he keeps this up. How long have you known him? Three weeks?"

"Since first grade," she snorts. "But I didn't talk to him until fifth grade. And I've been with him since... For almost two years."

Okay, I sort of assumed they'd been seeing each other not more then a couple of months. Three at the most. How do I make this better? "Tic-tac?" I offer. She almost smiles.

Not if you want me to throw up."

"Nice diving earlier," I tease her.

"Thank you, I did my best. At least I won the pool. It was almost fifty bucks. I can by lots of sunglasses for that," she points out.

"You mean for the beach?"

"Well, I'm not a beach-person, but I'll probably tag along. As long as there's a shadow, the batteries for my CD-player won't run out and I don't get sand in my shoes."

Wow, sounds really fun. Is she that unable to enjoy herself? "Don't you know how to swim?"

"Of course I do. I just don't like to."

"How about surfing? I can teach you."

"I would only fall and break my legs," she sighs. "And I don't have the patience or the balance."

"No, I could definitely teach you," I say. "No problem at all. I'll teach you tomorrow at the beach. That way you won't feel left out if Fred leaves you."

"Why would he leave me?"

"I mean, hang out with Lex again," I quickly change my words.

Cecilia gets up and pulls the handle. "Fred has the key-card. Ironic, huh?" she snorts. Then she leans toward the door and almost doubles over. I grab her by the waist to keep her up.

"I can get him," I offer.

"He'd only hit you," Cecilia mumbles. "He gets like that when he drinks."

"He's sober," I say.

"He is? Who's drunk then?"

"You are," I laugh. "Stay in our room until he shows up, then."

"If he ever will show up," she whispers.

I pick her up in my arms, my, this girl is a tiny one, and carry her to the room I share with Chris. She objects, but I'm trying to patch things over, so I refuse to put her down until she's tucked into bed. That is sort of a hard task, because she keeps moving and spinning around.

Suddenly she gets up and starts to go through my things. Now she's getting me nervous. But I brought it on myself, I just had to take her to my room. My guilty conscious always gets me into trouble! I just wonder what Chris will say when he finds Cecilia in our room tomorrow morning.

Ah, man, she just found my CD-player!

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

how was it? hit the review button!

We would just like to point out that we borrowed the songs, lyrics, and titles in this chapter from the following bands:  
K.C. & The Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight  
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You  
J. Geils Band - Centerfold  
Green Day - Basket Case  
Melody Club - Electric  
Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy  
Robbie Williams - Let Me Entertain You  
Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out  
Wheatus - A Little Respect  
Lou Bega - Mambo No. 5  
Frank Sinatra - Something Stupid  
Candi Station - Young Hearts Run Free  
The Dandy Warhols- Bohemian Like You


	14. I'm Coming Out

to all the reviewers: thanks, we really, truly appreciate it!

hey, here's chapter 14. enjoy and don't forget to review!

-Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: see last chapter. I'm too lazy to type it out today.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
**Chapter 14: I'm Coming Out  
By NYgoldfish54**

Anna's POV

"I'm telling you both, for the final fucking time, I am _not _letting Fred screw me!" were Lex's parting words to Sammie and me last night before she'd shut the lights. We'd been teasing her, and we didn't mean anything by it, but she snapped at us and turned out the light. I couldn't tell because it was so dark, but I think she was crying.

If Lex was crying, she wasn't showing it when she was beating me awake at 6:30 AM (entirely too early for people who went to sleep at 1:30 in the morning) with a pillow, when she was helping pack the instruments into the truck, and she isn't showing it now at 7:30 during breakfast. She's sitting in between Charlie and *gasp* Fred. All the Ducks are down here, but I don't know why. If I was them I'd be sleeping, but I'd bet money Connie woke them all up.

I put my bowl of cereal down next to Averman, slide into the seat next to him, and engage him in conversation. He had me laughing so hard yesterday. He's rather sweet, and unlike Fred, doesn't have a girlfriend.

"So what are our plans?" asks Ken loudly, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Well," Chris says, "we've got rehearsal from 8-10, but after that…"

"Yeah," says Matt who was talking to Luis, "You guys will have to entertain yourselves for a few hours, but after we're back, I thought we were heading for the beach?"

"We are! We are!" Connie exclaims, hopping up, practically pushing Guy off his chair before losing her balance and falling back into her own seat again.

"I thought you said I could come with you to rehearsal?" Julie says from Jeff's side.

"I did say that, didn't I?" Jeff looks cheerfully oblivious to the nasty looks that Lex, Sammie, Anthony, Matt, and Chris are giving him. I'm probably throwing him dirty looks too, but I can't see my own face. We really hadn't wanted the Ducks to hear any songs until the show. We wanted to 'wow' them, so to speak.

"Hey, if Julie gets go, we all get to go!" Cecilia cries. She's been chatting it up with Anthony since he went to find her last night. I don't know what he said, but it seems to have done the trick. Cecilia's in an incredibly good mood this morning. 

Anthony probably won her over by taking care of her while she was drunk. Anthony's sweet like that. He's got a knack of knowing when people need to be taken care of and then he does it. When Chris got the chicken pox, Anthony came with board games and calamine lotion. When Sammie and Matt had the flu, Anthony brought them each a hot water bottle and some Campbell's Chicken Soup. When Jeff had strep-throat and a fever, Anthony brought cough drops and played cards with him for hours. Anthony was the one who held Lex's hand when she went to have her appendix out, and Anthony was the one who took me out for Valentine's Day last year after my date stood me up. Yeah, Anthony's a sweetheart, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if that's why Cecilia trusts Anthony now. He's taken care of her.

"Oh, we want to come! Come on, please?" Averman says to me.

"It's up to Lex," I say.

"Come on, Lex, please?" Adam whines.

"Don't you guys want to do stuff here?" Lex asks the Ducks. She looks rather desperate for them to say yes.

"Not really," says Goldberg, chewing his banana.

"Why is this up to me?" Lex snaps at me.

"Cause you're lead singer…you know, captain," I say, grinning at her.

"Come on, Lex, let us come," Portman cuts in. "We'll be good, even me."

"Promise?" Lex asks.

"Promise," says Portman.

"Alright, I guess you guys can tag along if you want," Lex gives in at last.

As we get on to the bust, Lex slips away from Fred and catches up to me.

"If this turns out to be a disaster, it's on your head," she says to me.

"Why mine?" I ask.

"Cause you're backup singer…you know, second in command," she says grinning evilly and climbing on to the bus.

Interesting. Very interesting. I didn't see that coming. I should have, but I didn't. I sort of walked right into it, but I didn't see it because I'd always figured that Jeff was second in command.

***

****

Fulton's POV

Portman and I had a very long discussion after his performance last night. That ass, coming out to Cecilia and Luis. He still doesn't want to tell the rest of the team about me…and him…about us. He's so aggravating sometimes.

We're on the bus going with the band to rehearsal. Jeff invited Julie, and somehow the rest of the Ducks have gotten to go too. Lex and her friends didn't look too happy.

"What's this show for?" Dwayne asks. "Is it for charity or something else?"

"Well," says Sammie, answering from her seat next to me, "it's sort of a talent search for a rock and roll band. One of the local New York radio stations puts it on every year. We sent in one of our tapes, and the radio station liked it. They called us in and we did a live audition, and we got picked. 

"So you just play songs?" Kenny asks.

"Not exactly," says Matt. "They gave us a list…like, we have to play so many songs by the Beatles, so many by the Rolling Stones, this many by Zeppelin, that many by the Who. A bunch of non-classic rock, and so on."

"What does the winner get?" Goldberg asks.

"It changes each year. This year you get to be opening act for the Stones on their summer tour next year. It would be a huge chance for us," Chris says.

"The problem is," Lex cuts in, "that winning won't be easy. We've got the least experience, the least professional touch, etc… I mean, the first day they gave us a list of all the competing bands and the information on the people in them. Stuff like name and age. We're the youngest band there, and by a lot. The next youngest person after us is 23 years old."

"That would definitely make you the youngest," Portman says, glaring at Sammie. Sammie's in Portman's usual seat. She and I got along so well yesterday, and I really like her. Not how I like Portman, mind you, but I like her.

After Karaoke night, and after Portman and I had our chat, I left the room to go for a walk. Sammie was in the now empty dining room, practicing her guitar. She waved, and proceeded to play a few songs for me. She's really good…after she wrapped it up for the night, we talked for a while. She figured out Portman and me. I'm really not sure how she did it.

Actually, I do. She talked me into playing a game where she asked me a lot of random questions really fast and I'd say the first thing that came into my head.

"Favorite color?"

"Gray."

"Favorite food?"

"Pizza."

"Dog's name?"

"Don't have one."

"Favorite band?"

"Metallica."

"Love interest?"

"Portman." 

Silence reigned supreme for a moment, and I was terrified of what she'd say. I'd only known her two days, and I liked her, and what if she didn't want to be friends now? What if she is a rabid homophobe? What if she told everyone? I'm ready to tell, but if Portman wasn't he may freak and possibly leave. That would kill me. 

In that moment I watched her, in that one moment her face was expressionless, and in that one moment a hundred thousand questions crossed my mind. A million thoughts. I thought about how I'd always assumed Portman and I would come out together, and to the entire Ducks team, to our friends. Not me, alone, by myself, to someone I'd known for two days. What if Sammie freaked? What if the Ducks freak? What if Portman freaks? And what if I end up alone, by myself, like I am right now?

But after that one moment, in which Sammie's face was expressionless, and a million doubts, fears, and thoughts ran through my head, Sammie smiled. 'Portman, huh?' she'd said, grinning. 'He's sort of a jerk, always torturing Cecilia. Not bad looking though, but I'm more of a Ben Affleck girl myself. To each his own, though, right?'

I nearly cried when she'd said that. Relief flooded through my veins as she hugged me and promised me she wouldn't tell if I didn't want her to. I made up my mind right there about two things. One, I can't be mad at Portman because he came out without me because I just did the same thing. Two, Sammie is definitely a special girl and a keeper as a friend.

The chit chat, which I'd stopped paying attention to when I was thinking about last night, continues for the remainder of the trip.

When the bus finally comes to a halt, Matt climbs off the bus and tells us that we should go in through 'that door' he points to and take a seat. The door leads to a stage, and tons of seats. There are no chairs by the stage though, and we decide we want to be near the stage, so we sit over there on the floor.

20 minutes later at about 8:25, Lex, Jeff, Anna, Chris, Matt, Sammie, and Anthony all take their places behind various mics and instruments.

They open up with a song by the Rolling Stones called 'Start Me Up.' From there they continued with 'Layla' by Eric Clapton (technically Derek and the Dominos, but the hell with it), the Doors 'Touch Me' (Matt was absolutely brilliant in that song) and 'She Said, She Said' by the Beatles. The girls took over when the guys took a water break. Anna, Lex, and Sammie were incredible doing 'Edge of Seventeen' by Stevie Nicks. 

I especially liked when Jeff sang the chorus of 'She Said, She Said'.

"She said  
I know what it's like to be dead  
I know what it is to be sad  
And she's making me feel like I've never been born."

Rehearsal continued without incident from 8:25-9:45. Everyone was dancing and laughing, even Cecilia. Then at around 9:47, Dwayne was sent flying head first into a speaker by Charlie. Dwayne's flailing legs tripped up Guy and Connie, who tripped up Goldberg, who crashed into Portman, who knocked Russ off balance, and so on and so forth like dominos, until it all ended with Banks sitting in the wreckage of a drum set. The song the band was playing ('We Didn't Start The Fire' by Billy Joel) stopped abruptly.

"Uh-oh" Banksie says, climbing off the rubble.

"Oh _shit_," exclaims Matt, surveying what's left from the drum set from behind his own.

"Glad that wasn't ours," says Chris to nobody in particular.

"We're leaving at 10, but we're the only ones who'll be here until 3, when a different group comes in," says Jeff, a look of panic in his eyes. "If they ask about it, we'll tell them it wasn't like that when we left. Nobody's filming our rehearsals or anything, I asked when we first got here- so if we stick that that story, were in the clear."

"Let's pack up and go," Anna says quickly, practically throwing her guitar into its case.

Lex, Jeff, Chris, Matt, Anthony, and Sammie quickly followed suit. They loaded their stuff back on to the truck as we got onto the bus. I saw through the open door that Lex left two one-hundred dollar bills on what was left of the drums, before she sprinted away and joined us online for to get on the bus.

"I really, really hope that covers the cost," she says, grinning guiltily at me.

"Alright," says Charlie, "back to the hotel to get our stuff, then off to the beach, right Lex?"

"Right," she says, sitting down next to Fred. "Guilty conscience, Charlie?" she asks him.

"Yeah a little," he says. "It was me-"

"I know. I saw you start the domino effect," she laughs. "Don't worry about it. If they don't know it was us, they can't kill us," she says, but then she glances quickly at the building, probably searching for people. "Hopefully, they don't know it was us."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

the contest mentioned in this chapter is, of course, made up. I don't know how you'd earn the position of opening act for the Rolling Stones, but this contest isn't it. this contest isn't real. the Rolling Stones have nothing to do with it. please don't get me sued by telling people that.

we borrowed the titles and lyrics in this chapter from the following bands/artists (we did NOT make them up, nor are we making any money off them):  
The Rolling Stones- Start Me Up  
Eric Clapton/Derek and the Dominos- Layla  
The Doors- Touch Me  
The Beatles- She Said, She Said  
Stevie Nicks- Edge of Seventeen


	15. Sun, Wind, Water, High Mountains, Deep S...

chapter 15. long chapter, so pee before you begin and if you have diarrhea, take and Imodium. *evil grins* anyway, enjoy and review! 

-Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: see chapter 13

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
**Chapter 15: Sun, Wind, Water, High Mountains, Deep Seas – And Then There's You  
By Cimmy**

Connie's POV

It's extremely hot today. No problem, I can stand the sun. Guy is always complaining when it's really hot, but hey, does he ever NOT complain?

Well, actually, he's been grinning for a long while now, so I shouldn't give him a hard time for that. He's not the only one who's upbeat. I think my bouncing and cheering has rubbed off on some of them! Yippie! But I've decided to be less demanding today, otherwise I'll give Guy a head-ache.

More people suffer from head-ache. Like a certain girl who got drunk last night, but I'm not into name-calling. Although for having a hang-over, she's unusually upbeat. At least her mood increased from depressed to content. I even saw her smile!

We're on the bus that's supposed to take us to the beach. I'm trying hard not to interfere with the conversation, but sometimes I just have to share my opinions about how great it's going to be. Sand, water, ice-cream, sun, towels and sand-castles. I love all those things!

"Did you see 'Casino', Con? One more shriek and I'll jam this pen into your throat," Charlie growls at me. No, he won't!

"Did you see 'Homeward Bound'?" I ask. "Aren't the dogs adorable?"

Charlie gives me a hostile look, and search his pockets. I hope it's not a pen he's looking for. Guy takes my side. "Charlie, be nice. We're almost there, then you won't see her for hours!"

"No, she'll probably drown," Charlie answers. "Or get drowned, which ever comes first."

Adam shakes his head. "She's just happy. No one needs to die because she's happy," he explains. Charlie turns his murdering look towards Banks instead. Cheers.

I turn towards Averman and Anna instead. They probably won't snap at me, because they're hyper too. "We have got to play beach-volley," Averman says. "That's like the funest game ever!"

"Funniest," I correct him automatically, but he doesn't seem to care. "I want to play too!"

"You know how to play?" Averman asks. "I've never seen you play."

"I've never seen you play either," I point out and he shrugs. "But I really want to play anyway!"

"Of course you can play!" Anna exclaims. "If you don't know how, you'll learn. It's easy."

Cool, I'm being invited to play. Even though I drive people crazy. I giggle and turn to Guy. "Guy, did you hear that? They want me to..."

"Yeah, I heard," he tells me. "Just don't get all whiped out. We're going back to Disney World tomorrow."

I almost forgot about that! We're going back to Disney World! Yippie!

I'm glad I didn't express that out loud, Charlie probably would've strangled me with his towel. Gross. I don't get what's wrong with his mood today. Everyone's happy for once, and he's not. Even after last night's catastrophes, we're happy. All but Charlie. What's up his ass? A cactus?

Usually I'd be the one trying to solve his problem, but I'm too busy having fun on this trip. If he's still cranky when we get home, I'll be the first one offering to be his therapist.

We get there, and everyone speaks at once.

"I want to sit in the sun," Julie says. "I have to work on my tan."

"I rather sit in the shadow," Guy whimpers.

"I need to sit on the grass!" Sammie tells us.

"Nah, I prefer the sand," Fulton says thoughtfully.

They all divide into small groups to go find their perfect spots, and I don't know who to follow. If I go with Guy, we can make out. But I like the sun. Plus, he disappears up on the hill where there's grass, and I came here for the sand. What to do?

No one even invites me to tag along, so I stand like a fool and make a circle with my foot in the sand. Hello, what about me?!

"Connie, aren't you going to sit down?" Goldberg asks and throws an inflatable ball in my head.

I pick the ball up from the sand and throw it back. "I'd love to, if I knew where to go."

"Sit down here with us. We're the 'sand and sun' people," Charlie offers. "The 'shade and sand' are over there, and the wimps are up on the hill."

"What are they looking for?" I ask and gaze up to see if I can spot Guy.

"Shade and grass," Fred explains. He moves over so I can sit next to him. Well, I guess sun and sand is perfect for me. Luckily, there's some shade down here too, because it's getting damn hot in the middle of the sun.

I force Guy to come down and join us, so he can put sun-screen on my back. I don't trust Charlie enough to let him do that. Who knows what he ends up rubbing? I let Guy sit under the parasol, and he's happy with that. I even manage to get him to buy me an ice-cream. I'm on a roll today.

Portman, who's lying on a towel a few steps away next to Fulton, turns around and look at me. "What's with Psycho today?"

"I think she's having a hang-over," I answer and look at Cecilia. She's sitting closer to the water, with her arms around her legs. I haven't even noticed her since we got here. Ah, well, I can be her therapist too when we get back home.

"She's well-dressed for the beach," Portman laughs and turns back to Fulton.

I guess, but lots of people wear baseball-caps at the beach. And sneakers. And jeans. Okay, she's weird.

"I wanna go play beach-volley now," I explain and look around. Where are Averman and Anna? They promised! I get up to find them, and they are with the 'shade and sand' people. I hurry up to them and slide the last inches. Sand goes everywhere.

"Hey, that wasn't nice!" Ken shouts. "I got sand in my ice-cream!"

"I want to go play beach-volley," I inform them and ignore the fact that they're going to kill me. "Anyone wants to join me? Or teach me?"

"I guess I could play, now when my ice-cream is ruined," Ken mutters, but then he smiles. "Sounds fun, actually."

Eight of us end up by the beach-volley court. Is it called a court? Just for fun, I'm going to call it a rink. It's easier to remember that way. Averman, Anna, Ken, Portman, Fulton (who I had to bribe with a soda), Chris, Luis and I make the two teams. I'm not able to get Guy to play, he's busy looking for frogs. That's what he said, anyway. Could he be lying?

"We should have two more people," Ken yells from the other side of the net. "That way we'd be five on each side."

"I asked Lex and Fred, but they didn't want to," I say. Probably too busy making secret babies. No, now I'm being mean. I hated that joke back in junior high when Averman teased Guy and I with it. Why am I using it myself?

"Well, making out take up much time," Portman sneers next to me. Anna, who's supposedly on our team, hits the ball so it ends up flying right into Portman's face. "Ouch!"

The rest of us laughs, even though I know that at least the people from the Ducks were thinking pretty much the same thing. Fred has always been my friend, but I guess he's not been part of our team long enough to get the sort of loyalty that Lex gets from her band.

"Let's just play," I suggest, to keep Portman from throwing back the ball. If we're going to beat the idiots on the other side of the net, we have to stick together!

It's war between us when a competition is being held. Even Anna and Chris get so caught up in the game that they're willing to kill for a point. But we're having fun anyway.

***

****

Adam's POV 

After waving away Connie, I decide to go and see if there's anything eatable in the cafeteria. I really don't feel like throwing myself after a ball and get sand under my clothes. And I know that it's deadly serious when it's game-time, and I have enough of that during hockey-season.

I meet Charlie by the stairs and he doesn't punch me out right away. "Hi," he says. "Looking for snacks?"

"Yep. Portman took my candy-bar when he ran off the play with the others."

"The bastard," Charlie grins. "I found chips. Wanna share?"

I offer to buy us both something to drink, since he's providing me with snacks. Let's just see for how long we get along this time, shall we? Ten minutes? Five?

We both walk into the store, but we're interrupted by some gibberish talking from the café-area. It's Fred and Cecilia, talking their usual freaky language.

"Har du inte tänkt att prata med mig alls under den här veckan?" Cecilia whispers, even though she doesn't have to. [Are you planning on not talking to me at all during this week?]

"Vadå, är du fortfarande arg för att jag umgås med andra människor?" Fred growls back, with his usual tone. [What, are you still mad because I hang out with other people?]

"That's not the problem!" Cecilia exclaims, and even though I understand what she's saying, I actually don't.

"Sänk rösten, vill du att hela världen ska höra hur hysterisk du är?" Fred snaps. [Lower your voice, you want the whole world to hear how hysteric you are?]

"Jag har aldrig anklagat dig för att du umgås med någon annan! Jag har aldrig krävt att du ska vara med mig dygnet runt!" [I have never accused you just because you spend time with someone else! I have never demanded that you should be with me all hours of the day!]

"Varför är du så upprörd då?" Fred moans loudly. "It's impossible to even talk to you!" [Then why are you so upset?]

I've always wondered why they speak English with each other even when we're not around. I guess it's just something they do automatically.

"Hey, I'm not the one running around with someone else!" Cecilia shouts, and the store manager is beginning to look annoyed.

"Så, vi är tillbaka vid det igen? Du sa ju nyss att du inte bryr dig om vem jag umgås med! Kan du bestämma dig för hur du ska ha det?" Fred yells back. [So, we're back to that again? You just said that you didn't care who I hang out with! Could make up your mind?]

"Du umgås inte, du stöter ju på henne. Mitt framför ögonen på mig! Jag har alltid respekterat dig, och jag har aldrig gjort något mig som kan uppfattas som dåligt beteende." [You're not hanging out, you're flirting with her. Right in front of my eyes! I have always respected you, and I have never done anything to you that could be described as bad behavior.]

"Whatever, you go and do your thing, and I'll go do mine. If I know you at all, you'll probably end up drunk again."

Cecilia rushes past him, and Charlie and I don't have the time to hide or act like we didn't hear the conversation. Which we sort of didn't. I didn't hear them mention any names, but I think I know what they were talking about anyway.

I follow her down the stairs, while Charlie goes to beat up Fred or something. "Wait, can we talk?" I shout.

"Why?" she wants to know.

"Did you fight?"

"No, that's how we talk to each other where we come from," she snorts and disappears down the path to the beach.

Well, there's not much I can do if she refuses to talk to me. I go back and buy the sodas, then I walk down to the beach again. Charlie is still willing to share his chips with me. Good, then I don't have to take his soda as hostage.

Guy starts to whimper the minute I get back. "I'm thirsty. Go get me something to drink," he instructs me.

"Nah, don't feel like it," I say and sit down on the blanket. "It's too hot."

"Lex?" Guy continues his search for someone dumb enough to run his errands. Lex is busy being tickled by Fred. Fred seems to be unaffected by the fight earlier. I guess emotions aren't his strongest side...or the ability to have a heart.

"Nah, don't wanna," Lex answers and jumps up. "I'd rather go for a swim. Fred, you coming?"

The two of them disappears down the beach. Charlie and I fight over the last few chips in the bag, while ignoring Guy's request about tasting our sodas.

Suddenly Connie comes bouncing from nowhere. "Please, you guys, we need two more players! Guy, pretty please?"

"Get me something to drink first," Guy mutters. "Preferably something cold."

"Nah," Connie answers, not knowing that it's the same reply Guy's gotten all three times he's asked. "I have some sandwiches, though."

"I have a problem with food with the word 'sand' in it. Especially when we're at the beach," Guy explains. Connie kneels next to him and kisses him roughly on the lips. Wow, even I would be convinced if she did that to me. But then again, I've always wondered how someone like Guy managed to get a beautiful girl like Connie.

"Fine, I'll play the stupid game," Guy gives in. "But if you start to shout, I quit."

"Why would I shout?" Connie asks.

Charlie and I look at each other. "You're a maniac when it comes to winning," I point out.

"You'll do anything to score," Charlie laughs. "Not unlike Guy."

"Ha, ha," Guy growls and throws some sand at us. "There are sharks here, right?"

"No, this is the home of the Lightning," Charlie says, only thinking about hockey as usual.

"Isn't it the Panthers?" Connie asks and receives an icy stare from Charlie. "Okay, maybe not."

Connie looks around, probably trying to scout more players. "What about her? Can she play?" Connie says to me. I don't know who she's talking about, so I assume it's Cecilia. There aren't too many 'she' and 'her' around here, sadly.

"Hey, you wanna play beach-volley?" Connie bellows all over the beach. Everyone but Cecilia turns to look. Isn't it easier to go and ask?

"She just had a fight with Fred, I think she wants to be left alone," Charlie explains. "And the two love-birds are out on a mission somewhere."

Connie seems sad. "Damn, I really need more players! Adam, please? You can have my sunglasses."

"The pink ones? I rather not," I say. "Go fish."

"Oh, I love that game! Can we play it?" Connie cheers. Now I want to shoot myself for mentioning that game...

While on the search for some cards, Connie leans over Guy, and I can clearly see that he's checking out her ass. Well, he's allowed to, it IS his girlfriend.

"We don't have any cards," I clarify and give Guy a pointedly look. He snorts at me and make a face.

Even though Connie was in such a rush a second ago, she's willing to sit down and play Go Fish with us, after she bribed a family on the spot next to us to give up their deck of cards.

I actually loathe this game. I never win. "Go fish again? Doesn't anyone have MY cards?" I yell.

"Calm down, it's just a game, it's not like... YES, I GOT A QUEEN!" Connie bellows.

"You already have one," I say and look at Guy. He just called me a sissy, because I cried when Charlie stole my eight of spades. I loved that card.

"Leave Guy alone," Connie says and threatens me with a half-eaten cookie. There's a shadow coming from nowhere, and Connie looks up. Cecilia sinks down next to us in the sand.

"What's the game?"

"Go fish," I mutter. "You wanna play?"

"Can I?" Cecilia asks.

"I don't know, it's not a drinking-game," Charlie snaps. "Can you?"

Cecilia looks over my shoulder. "You should ask about his jack's," she suggests. "He's got three."

Charlie swears while handing me the cards. "That was cheating."

Cecilia helps me to steal Charlie's cards during the whole round, then she gets her own cards to play with. We keep playing until Connie gets too upset about not getting her two's.

"I need a five," she begs Cecilia.

"Don't have it. Finns i sjön."

"Huh?" Connie looks up from her cards.

"Go fish," Cecilia corrects herself. "Sorry."

"Don't try and confuse us with your fake language," Charlie shrieks. "I have to have a king!"

"Now who's the queen?" Guy mutters. Playing games really doesn't make us friendly. The only one here not willing to kill for victory must be Cee.

Charlie looks at me. "I just gave that card to Connie!" he shouts. I have no idea what's gotten into him. "Cheater!"

He throw the cards over his head and wrestles me down. If I hadn't been taken off guard, I probably could've defended myself. "You're killing him!" Connie howls and tries to shove Charlie away by throwing herself over him. The only thing that happens is that I get both of their weights on me.

"Got any ten's?" Guy keeps on with the game.

"Uh, no, but Charlie did, right there under the towel," Cecilia points. "Should we break them apart?"

"No, this used to happen all the time in the sandbox," Guy says without taking his eyes off the cards.

I wasn't even in their stupid sandbox! "Get off me!" I yell and manage to roll out from underneath them. That's not what I would call a very nice ménage à trois. Charlie and Connie keep fighting, and I grab my cards. "Did you steal my nine?"

"Uh, sorry, I thought it was Connie's," Cecilia apologizes and gives the card back. "Adam, do you have a nine?"

I try to answer with some clever comment, but Charlie and Connie roll right into our game. More sand flies over us, and soon we get tired to play accompanied by the insults and shouting Connie and Charlie provide with.

"I think I'll go do something else," Cecilia suddenly says and gets up. Damn, I was just about to take her three of hearts. Both Guy and I throw ourselves at her cards when she leaves.

"What's going on here?" Lex asks us from out of nowhere. So that's why Cee disappeared so fast!

"Nothing," Connie says and shoves some sand into Charlie's mouth. "We're playing. Ack!"

I move away when Charlie decides to bury Connie in the sand. "We need some players, are you interested?" I ask.

"Sure, is it Go Fish?" Lex cheers. "I rule at that game."

"Don't say that," Fred suggests. "They'll kill you for it. And for your cards."

I shuffle the cards again. "There are cards missing!" I exclaim and glare at Charlie. He just shrugs.

"We can play together," Lex offers and show her cards to Fred. Aww, how adorable. Makes me want to puke.

"No cheating," Guy says. "And no sand-throwing."

"Are those the official rules?" Lex wants to know. "Doesn't seem too hard."

"Just wait, soon you'll be as violent as Connie and Charlie," I laugh. "Have any nine's?"

I actually win the first round, and our second round gets ruined by the wrestling idiots. The third round is just about to go toward its end when Portman shows up. "Hey, Connie, where the hell did you go?"

"I'm right here," she explains and pushes Charlie away. "Did we win?"

"No, we took a break," Portman says and sits down next to me. "Wow, you got lots of three's. Isn't that bad?"

"I want your three's!" Lex and Fred shout at once.

Portman shrugs. "Sorry, dude. I didn't know you played Go Fish."

"It would've been a full house if we'd been playing poker!" I howl. "Damn!"

"You're a bad loser," Lex points out.

"Why don't you ask Psycho to play?" Portman suggests. "She looks to be bored."

"She WAS playing until..." I begin but decide that I should bite my tongue off instead. "Uh, she lost interest."

"Umm," Portman says doubtfully and kicks Charlie a little when he almost rolls over his arm. "My arm, dude!"

The game continues, and the kicking and screaming too. This is just what summers should be like.

***

****

Anthony's POV 

Since all the good sandwiches are in Sammie's bag, I decide to sit in the shadow by the small hill. I can hear the Ducks yell and scream from the sunnier part, but it doesn't seem to be all that serious because the one's who aren't fighting pay no attention at all to the yelling.

"Where's Lex?" Anna asks, showing up from behind.

"Guess," I say and nod towards the crazy bunch of Ducks. "With Fred."

"I don't get it," Sammie sighs. "What's so special about him?"

"I feel bad for his girlfriend," I admit. "I should go talk to her."

"You're not going to hit on her, are you?" Sammie snorts.

"Why would I do that?" I say with a hurt expression on my face.

Anna shrugs and hands me a bottle of water. "You are being freakishly interested in her life. And she slept in your room. Who knows what went on behind closed doors."

"Very funny," I mutter, even though I know she's just teasing me.

"I was kidding," she laughs. "Go talk to her, she seems cool. If she'd be cooler, she'd be an ice-cube, but that's beside the point. And she doesn't look that bad. If you're into that sort of stuff."

"Shut up," I smile. "I'm not going to ask her to marry me, I just offered to teach her how to surf."

"Yeah, go for it," Sammie suggests. "Buy her some better clothes, while you're at it."

"Now you're just cruel," I say and hand back the water. Then I get up. "I actually WILL go and talk to her. She seems nice and I'm sure she's fun when you get to know her."

"Bring her over here," Anna says. "I haven't met her for real yet!"

How am I going to convince that icy girl to come and talk to my friends? She didn't even want to talk to me when I was by myself! Although she did talk like crazy last night when she slept in my room. In my bed too, for that matter. But who needs to know that? Not Fred, anyway.

I walk away from my safe place in the sand, and somehow it feels like I'm supposed to fight a dragon. That girl makes me seriously nervous.

Cecilia doesn't even look up when I arrive, and I kneel next to her. "What's up?"

At first she seems to not remember me, then she shrugs. "I'm just looking at the ocean," she informs me. "And stuff."

"Umm, well, would you like to come over and hang out with us? You look lonely, and the ocean is sort of in the other direction," I smile.

"I'm not sure," she mumbles. "No, I'll just stay here."

"Don't be ridiculous," I say and she shoots me an evil look. "Come on!" I grab her hand and pull her up from the sand. She still seems unsure if she should tag along, so I begin to drag her across the beach.

"Alright!" she finally gives in. "I know how to walk on my own."

I keep her wrist in a firm grip, so she won't dash off somewhere. Anna and Sammie look up when I come back. Cecilia now has that nervous, worried look she had right before she stormed out of the Tower of Terror.

"This is Sammie and Anna," I introduce. "You know, the crazy girlies who tortured your boyfriend with brooms."

Cecilia gives them an insecure nod. "And, of course, this is Cecilia," I continue, and Anna and Sammie pretend like they weren't completely aware of that by now.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Anna says. "We were trying to get to know all of you girls, but Connie was bouncing around too much, and you were..."

"Drunk?" Cecilia suggests when Anna can't come up with something to continue her sentence with.

Oh no, two minutes and they could already be at each other's throats? New record, I think. But Anna doesn't hear the aggression in Cecilia's question, and she smiles. "No, you were busy being terrorized by Portman."

Sammie holds out the basket with food. "Are you hungry? We have sandwiches."

Cecilia sits down in the sand and peaks down into the basket. Now I know what to bribe her with to get her interest; food.

"We have cheese and ham on those," Sammie points. "And turkey and cheese and mustard on those. Take one!"

Cecilia smiles and take one of the sandwiches Sammie holds out for her. I think that's the first time I've seen her smile since I met her. Well, not counting when Portman made her laugh last night when they sang together. But her smile is more genuine and I like it much better.

"Where did you get these?" Cecilia asks after taking a bite off the turkey/cheese/mustard sandwich.

"Our parents sent them with us," Anna explains.

"Your parents are here?" Cecilia says and sounds surprised. "Bummer."

I laugh. "Well, it's great that they're here, but maybe it would've been even greater if they had arrived at the day of the show instead."

"Anthony!" Anna says and takes away my bottle of water. What, like they DON'T consider that as better?

Anna and Sammie keep chatting with Cecilia, and she answers with a nod and one or two syllables sometimes. Other then that, she's chewing and listening.

"So, when do you wanna start with the lessons?" I quickly ask her while Anna and Sammie are silent for a second.

Cecilia shakes her head. "I don't think I want to. I'm not that good at sports, and with so much water around, I might drown."

"That's the spirit," I grin and stand up. "Eat up, then we'll go and see if we can get a board somewhere."

"Are we joining the Navy?" she snorts. "Plus, I can't go out into the water. I just ate, I could get cramp."

"I'll save you if you disappear under the water," I offer. "You DO know how to swim, right?"

"Yeah!" she exclaims. "But I gotta go take off my shoes first."

"Put them here," Anna says. "We won't steal them."

Cecilia ponders for a while. "I guess I could try... But I think I'll go and put my stuff where my bag is, otherwise I might loose them. No, I'll definitely loose them."

She jumps up from the sand and disappears over the hill.

"I bet you'd like to save her from drowning," Sammie snickers. "You seem really eager to give her mouth-to-mouth."

"I would be offended, but since it's not true, I don't care," I say with my head held high.

Anna puts the lid back on the box with cookies. "I actually think she's nice. She's not as depressed and aggressive as I first thought. I like her, she's fun."

"And I bet she won't mind some life-saving now when Fred's pretty much out of the picture," Sammie thinks out loud. "Go for it, Anthony."

Do they ever listen to me when I talk? "She has a boyfriend," I point out. "And I'm not going to hit on her, I'm just trying to be her friend."

"Umm, yeah, that's nice," Sammie rants. "But, you should try to show her some affection. You need to find girls that aren't all that weird."

"Cecilia's weird!" I exclaim. "And, it's not like that."

"No, I'm sorry, she's not a groupie," Anna giggles. "You don't stand a chance."

I decide to walk away to see where Cecilia is instead.

"No, wait, Anthony! I was kidding," Anna howls with laughter. "Don't take it the wrong way!"

"Go for it!" Sammie yells after me and I can't stop thinking that maybe I should've tried out for some sport instead of focusing on music.

I see that Cecilia has reached the card-playing fools. I know I shouldn't eavesdrop, but I can't help it.

"There you are!" Connie cheers. "Where did you go?"

"I went with Anthony to get a sandwich," Cecilia answers and shrugs. "I'm just going to put away my shoes."

"We're still playing Go Fish!" Adam growls. "I can't get my eight!"

Charlie quickly hide away his cards from Cecilia. "No cheating!" he bellows.

"No, I'm leaving again." Cecilia kicks off one shoe and then she takes off her cap, jeans and sweater. She's wearing a swimming-suit underneath, so she's maybe not as weird as I first thought. "I'll be back later."

For the first time, Fred looks up. "Where are you going?" he wants to know.

"Anthony offered to teach me how to surf."

"Don't kill yourself," he mutters and turns back to the game. "And don't go into the water alone, you'll probably drown."

"Cut it out," Portman tells them. "Time-out, go and slug some water."

Fred doesn't seem to appreciate that joke. "Who's Anthony anyway?"

I can't help but grin. He knows who I am. Everyone stares at him until he gets the point. "Oh, him. Why are you hanging out with him?"

"Felt like it," Cecilia answers shortly and is about to kick off her other shoe when Fred grabs her leg and pulls her closer.

"When are you coming back?" he wonders.

"Later."

"Stay away from the deeper parts," Fred instructs. He treats her like his little sister. It's pathetic. "And wear sun-screen!"

Cecilia has already left and doesn't seem to listen to Fred's yelling. Good for her. Even better for me.

***

We're both sitting in the sand next to the water. Since I couldn't get hold of a surfing-board right away, I figured I'd try and find out if she really can swim or not. The way she refuses to even go near the ocean makes me doubtful.

"You're not afraid, are you?" I ask her. She gives me one of those patented icy looks. "There aren't any sharks here."

"Maybe not, but I still have a feeling I'll drown today. With or without surfing-board."

I get up and grab her hands to haul her to her feet. She seems reluctant to use her legs, but I manage to get her up anyway.

"It's beginning to get really warm here," I complain. "Either you go in by yourself, or I'll toss you in. How's it going to be?"

She makes a face, but decides that being tossed isn't as much fun. I must admit that I'm surprised by the fact that she knows how to swim. She even dives in right through a small wave. I don't know why I thought otherwise. Do they even have lakes in her country?

I swim after her to really make sure that she doesn't disappear among the waves. I can almost reach the bottom when I get up to her. She can't, I'm taller then her. A wave almost drags her out to the open sea, so she throw her arms around my neck.

"Don't you think you're a little too pushy right now?" I laugh.

"No, unless you want me to drown, you'll hold on to me," she says firmly and smiles. "I don't like water."

"Why? You're like a sea-lion among the waves," I point out.

"Yuck, they eat penguins!" she exclaims and pushes me away. I look over to the beach, and I see that Fred and the rest of her friends are staring at us. Well, it sure wasn't my fault that she threw herself at me!

Sammie and Anna howls from the beach, so I swim back to them. Cecilia is busy pretending she's a star-fish.

"We have a board for you," Anna tells me. "We borrowed it from the store!"

"I thought you had to rent them," I smile.

"Ah, you're underestimating our female powers," Sammie grins. "Go and show her how to surf now."

What's with the sudden interest in me and my life? They must be bored out of their skulls.

It actually takes some time to teach Cecilia how to surf. She wasn't kidding when she said that she lacks of balance. I thought otherwise, since she's supposed to be a hockey-player. Although, I can't really picture that until I see it for real.

"This is hard!" she yells, while climbing up on the board for the tenth time. So far she's been able to stand for about five seconds flat. She's funny to look at, and she's entertaining with her swearing.

"You could try and stay on the board," I suggest, while she splashes into the water again. She gets up once more, and this time a wave knocks her out of balance and she goes under water. I roll my eyes and grab her arm to keep her from swallowing the whole ocean.

"Thanks," she coughs and wipes the water out of her face. "If I knew how to surf, I probably could've killed that wave!"

I laugh. "Probably. Get up." She jumps up and tries to stand. This time she doesn't fall immediately. I hear myself sigh with relief. Maybe there's hope for her too?

"Eeek," she gasps the next second and falls back into the water. Man, she's hopeless. But I can't say that I'm not enjoying this a lot, because I am. She's not at all what I first thought.

She climbs back on to the board, but lies down to gaze at me. "I'm never going to learn," she says and puts her hand into the water. I lean over the edge of the board to keep myself floating. "I told you I wasn't athletic."

"You're on an athletic scholarship," I smile. "Right?"

"Yeah, for hockey! And I'm far from being the best player. Even Fred's better then I am."

"What's with the attitude? Of course you have to be good if you got a scholarship!" I point out. "I bet you're great."

"I made thirteen goals last season, I had thirty-seven minutes in penalty and twenty-nine assists. That's not a lot."

She puts her head against the board and seems lost in her own thoughts. "Have you really been with Fred for two years?" I ask, still not really believing it.

"Two years in September," she says slowly. "But it'll be over way sooner."

"Why?" I say.

"What do you think? Do we look like we're head over wheels for each other? It's quite clear that we have some serious troubles in our relationship," she hisses. "Even before we came here, I knew there was something wrong. And now he's destined to ruin it all."

I decide to be polite and keep asking, even though I really don't want know more about Fred. "What sort of problem?"

Cecilia avoids to look at me. "Umm, well, it's sort of embarrassing to talk about," she explains.

"Oh. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I say, relieved that I got off so easy.

"It has to do with sex," she smiles. "That's embarrassing."

"I guess."

"I sort of think that he wants to do it. But we never really talk about it, because..."

I regret even bringing up the subject, so I try to get out of it. Why did I ask?!

"Because...?"

"We kind of, umm, tried once before, but we couldn't really go through with it, so we agreed that we should wait, and we haven't talked about it since," she says thoughtfully. She seems to be speaking more to herself, completely disregarding that I'm there. "That was in February. We'd just won a big game, and I guess we'd been drinking, so that's how we ended up in bed. Ever since then, we've been..."

Cecilia is quiet for a long time, while I'm trying to be less uncomfortable. "Not like it matters," she sighs. "He's more interested in Lex anyway."

"No," I say. "He's probably just trying to find out if you're really the one for him. The minute he realizes that Lex is a better friend then a girlfriend, he'll come begging for forgiveness." Deep in my heart I actually hope that he won't, but I can't tell her that, because she look close to tears now.

"It's obvious he wants to have sex with someone, it's just not me that is the target this time," she mumbles. "Because I actually though that he'd bring up the subject sometimes soon, and that we might be able to... you know, during this vacation."

Now she's speaking way too fast for me to understand. I haul myself up on the board some more and lean over her. "Don't be sad because that's just what he wants," I say, trying to sound knowingly. I have no idea what I'm saying, really.

She slides down from the board and puts one arm back on it to be able to keep herself floating, we're sort of out on deep water. "Maybe I should give up the whole surfing thing?" she says, wiping away tears from her eyes. "I suck at it anyway."

"No, you're starting to learn," I say, lying my ass off. "Just try until you get tired."

So she does, and she's able to stay on the board for approximately ten seconds before falling. "That's much better, right?" she grins proudly. "I didn't even hurt myself!"

"Tell you what," I say, helping her up again. "Try to keep standing for fifteen seconds and I'll buy you some ice-cream."

"Fifteen whole seconds?" she shouts. "It better be a huge ice-cream!"

Cecilia keeps falling, and she keeps trying. She never seems to give up, maybe it was because I bribed with food again?

Finally she's able to stay on the board, even though she's attacked by waves. I've never been so relieved in my whole life. I really did teach her how to surf.

"Cool, did you see that?" she shrieks when she finally falls down. "I really did it! You owe me a big-ass ice-cream, buddy."

I laugh and watch while she's splashing around. "You got it."

"I'm starting to get tired now," she announces and begins to swim back. Then she comes back and swims around me a few times. "Thank you for putting up with me."

"No problem," I answer and smile at her. She smiles back, and I'm still chocked how much difference it makes when she's smiling. Her whole face lights up for that second, and I can't stop thinking how big of an idiot Fred is to let a girl like her suffer like this.

Once again she throw her arms around my neck, this time without trying to save herself from drowning. She gives me a hug, holding on to me with such intensity that she almost makes me sink. I like her, I do. I like her a lot.

I grab her hand when to keep her from tripping in the sand, and when she's not letting go at once, I don't either. Anna and Sammie both give me an amusing look when we get back. None of them say anything, probably because Cecilia is present.

I get my money so I can buy her the ice-cream, and then we walk over the beach towards Cecilia's friends. She's still holding my arm, asking me questions that I can't answer. She doesn't let go of my hand until we get closer, then she decides to shout at Adam.

"Hey, Adam, did you see?" Cecilia exclaims enthusiastically when she gets up to them. "I really surfed."

"I saw you dive," Adam laughs and grabs her hand to pull her down into his arms. "You're really a surfer now!"

Cecilia just grins and tries to break free. She gets up and grabs my hand again. "We're going to get ice-cream," she tells Adam. No one but him seems to care; Connie, Charlie and Guy have disappeared, so it's only Portman, Fred, and Lex there.

"Have fun," Adam smiles. "Just no sugar, you seem too hyper."

"Sure," she says. "Let's go, Anthony."

Fred looks at me with a weird expression on his face. I can't tell if he's jealous, ready to kill or just uninterested. For Cecilia's sake, I hope it's jealousy, but I can't help but wish for my own sake that it's his 'what do I care'-look.

So, yet again we're alone together. I begin to wonder if Sammie might be right. Should I go for it?


	16. In The Process

hey everyone! here is chapter 16. read and review for us, ok?

to the reviewers: thanks for reviewing our story! 

-Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: The Ducks, as well as Disney World and everything in it, belong to the Walt Disney Company. Fred and Cecilia, the two lovebirds who seem to have forgotten that when you're in love you don't peck the other person's eyes out, belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Anna, Sammie, Matt, Chris, and Anthony, none of whom will think twice about killing a Duck if one of their own is harmed, belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 16: In The Process  
By NYgoldfish54**

Lex's POV

"Tell me about this kid Anthony," Fred says to me as he watches Anthony and Cee walk away to look for some ice cream.

"Tell you what?" I ask him. "Got any three's, Portman?"

"Nope, go fish," Portman says to me.

"What's he like? Will he take advantage of her?" Fred says.

"Of course not. He's sweet, Anthony…and if she told him to stop anything he was doing, he would," I say as I hand Portman my Jack of Clubs.

"What would he be doing to her!?" Fred asks, jumping up, and throwing his cards down.

"Relax, Fred, relax," I say, looking at his cards and throwing out my pairs with Portman yelling 'Cheater! Cheater!' from my other side. "I meant if he was tickling her or something…unlike you, who won't stop tickling me, even if I'm turning purple from lack of oxygen…HAHAHA! I'm out Portman! You lose!"

"Dammit you!" Portman yells, picks me up, and drops me back onto the sand as though I were a stick and not a person.

"Ouch! Don't do that! Monkey face!" I holler at him.

"Why would he be touching her?" Fred asks me, still staring off to behind the buildings where Anthony and Cee had disappeared.

"I don't know…maybe they're _friends? _You know, like how you and I are?" I say sarcastically. Fred's beginning to annoy me. Maybe I should go find Jeff…that is, if he's not using all the condoms in the box with Julie.

"Yeah, but I know you. Anthony doesn't know her."

"She obviously doesn't care," I say. "Listen Fred, you have been spending a ton of time with me on this trip. I like it. I like you. But you should probably spend some time with her. Don't expect her to sit around all friendless and depressed just because you're not there. She's cool, she'll make friends, and if you're going to be with me, and don't want her to be jealous, then don't be jealous when she hangs out with other people…did that make any sense?"

"Why would he touch her?" Fred asks again. He doesn't seem able to get past this one, and if he asks me that again, I'm going to slap him.

"I don't know. Maybe she's got ice cream on her face or something. Anthony's sweet, Fred, don't worry about it. Anthony's intentions are usually good…" I say. "Wait, where'd Portman go?" I ask as I look around.

"How do you know his intentions are good? How do you know he's sweet?" Fred asks me, anger in his voice.

"Because I grew up with Anthony. He's sweet. He held my hand when I had my appendix out. I went out with him for a while. He never touched me if I didn't want him to. His intentions are good. Trust me," I say as calmly as I can. I've known Anthony for years…and I did go out with him for a while. He was good. He was sweet. He won't hurt Cecilia, he won't take advantage of her. I know he won't.

"He could be holding her hand?" Fred asks, his face pale.

"STOP IT FRED! YOU'RE BEING PARANOID!" I scream at him from two feet away. He looks completely shocked. Half the people on the beach and most of the Ducks are looking at us. I see Jeff look up from Julie and I see Matt turn around, both watching me. I know they're making sure I'm not being raped or something. They're good to me like that. When I look back at Fred, he's still got the same stunned expression. I lower my voice, and say, "Trust me, Fred. Have I ever lied to you?"

"Well…no," he admits.

"Come on," I say, grabbing his hand, "Let's go see if we can find Luis, Averman, and Kenny. They have the beach ball."

He smiles at me. "Maybe you're right," he says.

"Of course I am," I say. "Now let's go."

***

****

Averman's POV

Fred and Lex came to join of game of beach volleyball not long after Portman did. Lex is decent, she's on our team with me, Goldberg, Luis, and Kenny. Fred's ok too, he's on the other side with Portman, Matt, Adam, and Anna. I wonder what Fred and Lex are thinking. It must be nice to be in love with someone…if that's what they're in. I wonder what it's like.

The game goes on back and forth for a while, and we take a break. Anna gets up to head toward Jeff and Julie, who were both lying and laughing on the beach about twenty yards away. I follow her.

Yesterday, I was making her laugh and I really liked her. She was sweet, smart, and funny. I don't know if she's putting an act on to charm us, but it's worked with me. I adore her.

She sits down, grabs Jeff's water, and drinks from it.

"Hey Anna?" Jeff says in mockingly sweet voice.

"Yes, Jeff, dear?" she says in the same mockingly sweet voice back at him.

"Get your own," Jeff says, grabbing it out of her hands.

"Oh, if you're thirsty go swap spit with Julie," Anna says to him. Julie blushes and Jeff smacks Anna on the back of the head. She laughs and falls over on to Jeff. He starts to tickle her.

I decide to make my presence known and clear my throat.

"Oh! Hi, Averman!" Jeff exclaims. Anna grins and pushes Jeff off of her.

"Hi!" she says, standing up and throwing herself around me in a hug.

"Umm…yeah, I just saw you two seconds ago," I say, but I hug her back anyway. "Want to go for a walk?" I ask.

"Sure," she says, "Jeff do you mind if…?"

But what Jeff may have minded I never found out. He was kissing Julie, and waving at us to go away.

"Yeah, I really don't want to get in between those two," she says, grinning and we start strolling along the beach.

"So how are you enjoying the trip so far?" she asks me.

"I love it! I'm having so much fun! I got to go on the Dumbo ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, all the rides I've dreamed of since I was a kid!" I say, probably sounding more excited than I should have.

"Glad you're having fun. We originally weren't going to bring you all, but Lex and Jeff insisted on it. They said you guys were a ton of laughs. I'm glad you came," she says grinning.

"Can I ask you a question?" I ask her.

"Knock ya socks off," she says, sounding like the typical New Yorker with they 'ya' instead of 'your.'

"Well, Lex and Fred," I begin, but she cuts me off.

"Don't talk to me about Fred. I don't like the way he treats his girlfriend. I don't like the way Lex is gonna fall for him, even if she says she won't. Trust me, she will. She may not admit it, but she will, and it'll kill her," she says very fast, without a trace of a smile. When she talks quickly, she's got that accent. It's not hard to understand, but it's so stereotypically New York.

"Actually, I was going to ask if you thought they were in love, but I guess you sort of answered my question," I say, grinning.

"I didn't say that…but I don't think they're in love. It's too quick. I think it's more the case of cheap, animal-like lust," she says smiling, and it's my turn to laugh.

"Could it be love?" I ask.

"It might turn into it, so who knows? Lex is going back to school with you guys next year. It might…but I don't see it right now. I just don't. I grew up with Lex. Her family isn't fantastic, and they're closer to dysfunctional than not. Only her brother Robbie is coming down for the show, nobody else. Her father beats her, and while she loves her brothers and sisters, there are only six people outside her family- who isn't her father- that she really loves: me, Sammie, Chris, Matt, Anthony, and Jeff."

We walk along for a little while. "Have you ever been in love?" she asks me.

"Nope," I tell her. "Love's too confusing. Hell, Luis was so confused after he and his cheerleader girlfriend broke up that he thought he was in love with Goldberg." Anna laughed at that for a good five minutes. When she finished, I asked her the same question.

"Have I ever been in love…have I ever been in love…" she mumbles, and it sounds like she's searching in the back of her head for an answer. "No," she says finally. "I thought I was once, but I wasn't."

"You thought you were in love once? With who?"

"Anthony."

"Damn, that boy gets around. Cecilia and Lex and you and who else?"

"Anthony doesn't get around. Not really. He's sweet, that's all. He took me out after my date stood me up on Valentine's Day. It took me a good three weeks before I realized I was confusing a great friendship with a great love."

"Wise, very wise," I say. "Do you think you'll ever fall in love?"

"Maybe, one day. Do you think_ you'll_ ever fall in love?" she asks.

I think for a moment, and look at her. All of a sudden, confusion isn't an issue. Anna is smart and funny. She's focused on something in her life- the band she's part of. Her dark brown hair is wavy now, from drying without being blow-dried. Her eyes are clear blue, and match the ocean. Her cheeks are slightly red from the sun. She is wearing a sort of yellow bikini, with a matching one of those beach skirt things. Her sandals are yellow and her bellybutton ring, a rhinestone flower, is glimmering in the sun. She is absolutely beautiful.

"Earth to Averman," she says, smiling up at me. "Do you think you'll ever fall in love?"

"I think I'm in the process."

"Really?" she says, genuinely surprised. "With who?"

"With you," I tell her.

She grins a bit, and looks toward the ocean. When she looks back at me, I kiss her. I'm relieved to find that she's kissing me back.


	17. Close Encounters

here's chapter 17. enjoy and review, thanks!

-Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: The Ducks, as well as Disney World and everything in it, belong to the Walt Disney Company. Cimmy owns Fred and Cecilia. NYgoldfish54 owns Lex, Jeff, Anna, Anthony, Matt, Sammie, and Chris.

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**Chapter 17: Close Encounters   
By Cimmy **

Lex's POV 

We're having a break from the hysteria at Disney World. After Russ mentioned for the fiftieth time that he was hungry, and Guy had some sort of nervous breakdown, we all sat down on the grass in a park. There aren't any children here; they're probably driving their parents nuts over by the Magic Kingdom.

It's sort of hard to pay attention to any conversations that take place, because all I can think of is Fred. I know he went to sleep in his own room last night, and I'm pretty sure that Cecilia slept there too. I only have myself to blame, because I was the one letting them share room.

Fred still seems bummed out. I feel sorry for him, so despite the dirty looks I receive from the others, I get up and walk over to the bench.

"What are you thinking about?" I ask.

He sighs and looks up. "How messed up everything is."

"Oh, trouble in paradise?" I joke.

"Sort of," he mumbles. Jeez, do I have to drag it out of you?

"Has it got to do with love?"

"What's love got anything to do with it?" Fred mutters and he makes me laugh. He's entertaining when he's sulking.

"Is it your girlfriend again?" I ask, even though I know the answer.

"Yes. Have you ever been in love?"

Now he's catching on. Too bad I'm the target this time. "Umm, well... Why?"

"I was just wondering. I wonder how it feels…to be really in love with someone."

"I thought you were..." I begin, but he interrupts me.

"Sometimes I have the feeling that it's not true love. That it's just... an illusion," he says. Now he's beginning to get too deep for me.

"I can't answer what love is. And I don't think it's me you should have this conversation with," I point out. I throw a glimpse at Cecilia. She's still sitting on the grass next to Dwayne and Ken. I see that she occasionally looks in our direction, and then she quickly turns away.

"It's just about one thing, all the time," Fred sighs.

"What's that?" I say, but regret asking when I realize what he's talking about.

Fred looks at me. "Sex, of course."

"Maybe you should talk to someone else," I suggest, trying hard not to blush.

Fred keeps talking without paying attention to my request. "It's not that special, is it?"

"Again, I don't know if I'd be the most suitable person to talk to."

"You're the only one who takes me seriously," he explains. "The others would just say stuff like 'go for it' or 'just do it'."

I shake my head, and I know that it's official, I'm blushing. "Uh, I don't know..."

"But you can't solve a problem with sex, right? Sometimes it feels like the only way out of ruining our relationship. Because everyone else is doing it, and..."

"Of course it has nothing to do with SEX!" I exclaim, screaming the last word way too loud. I can't help it; he's pissing me off with his conclusions. Is that all guys ever think of?!

Obviously, everyone on the lawn has turned around to stare at me. Fred seems very uncomfortable. Cecilia acts like she didn't hear me, or she really didn't. But I think even the people on Saturn heard my yelling.

"Thanks," Fred whispers to me.

"Sorry, but I told you not to ask me!" I defend myself.

"Anyway," he continues. "It's not like I'd know if it solves anything."

My interest beats out that feeling of embarrassment. I know it's not any of my business, but kill me, I'm curious. "You don't?"

"Well, uh, I'm sort of... I've never done it."

"Oh," I blush again. I just had to ask, hadn't I? "Go talk to her about it."

Fred shrugs. "We don't talk about that. It seems pointless. I don't care anyway, it was just a thought."

"That sex would save your relationship? That's wrong in so many ways," I hiss at him. "I can't tell you what's right and wrong, or what you should do. You have to figure that out by yourself."

"I guess you're right," he sighs again. He's the master of pathetic sighs. "I just... I love her."

"But you just said...!"

"She's all I got, and it feels like at least a good substitute of love," Fred whispers. "I just don't want it to be all about sex."

"Who does?" I snort and look away. I'm about to tell him that if he should stop avoiding her, there probably wouldn't even be a problem, but Fred disappears before I have the chance.

He gets up and walks over to Cecilia, who still pretends not knowing that we're right behind her. Fred kneels next to her and whispers something in her ear. They both get up from the grass. He takes her hand and drags her along. I feel sorry for them, somehow.

"What was all the yelling about?"

I turn to see Jeff sitting next to me, smirking. "What yelling?" I mutter.

"The interesting sex yelling," he laughs. "We're all dying to know what that conversation was about. You didn't make him any offers, did you?"

"Jeff!" I shout and push him off the bench. He stands up with a huge grin on his face. Then he gets serious.

"Do you like him?"

"Fred? Of course not!" I tell him. I hope I'm not lying.

"So, don't talk about sex with him then. Unless you want Cecilia to kill you."

Right. I'd take her out in one punch.

***  
**Fred's POV**

I'm not a very smart person. I know that. My Dad used to tell me that I'd be a failure at everything I'd try to do. That includes love and relationships, obviously.

Cecilia was already sleeping when I got to our room last night. Pretending to be asleep, anyway. She breathes funny when she's really sleeping, and when she's pretending to sleep, she breathes like she normally do.

At first I thought it was a good thing, because otherwise we'd be stuck in one of those awkward silences. If we ever watched a movie or something at the dorms, she would usually fall asleep snuggled up in my arms. And I always had to sneak out of her room before bedtime, so we never had to deal with how to act if I was to stay over.

She was pretending to be sleeping, and I just had to bug her. "Cecilia?" I asked, but she never answered. "I know that you're awake."

By then she'd been sighing deeply and turned to look at me. "Go to sleep," she suggested. "I'm trying to sleep."

That was all we said to each other last night. I couldn't sleep, and she kept breathing like normal and yawning. People who are asleep do not yawn, do they?

So I'm going to talk to her right now, because Lex told me to. Lex is a smart girl, much brighter than I am, and she has great opinions and solutions to any problem that might show up. Cecilia just solves problems by either punching things or not mentioning them.

"So, where are we going?" Cecilia asks me. I have no idea; I just know that I have to get away from the team for a while. They must all hate me right now, and I'm not so crazy about myself either.

I figure I could take some time off from Lex. I like her a lot, but after all, Cecilia IS my girlfriend, and I haven't spent any time at all with her these last three days. I still don't know why I keep avoiding her, but I'm going to force myself to spend some time with her and like it.

"I don't know," I admit and look around. "We should go to church."

"What?" she laughs, then she realizes that she's smiling and her face turns into stone again. "What?"

I'm not a very religious guy. I've never been to a church unless I had to. Cecilia says that she doesn't believe in God, so she doesn't go to church either. Although, she did go to a catholic school earlier, and she's baptized and all that. She's a very strange catholic atheist, and people think I'm kidding when I say that she doesn't believe in God.

"This is a church-kind-of-moment," I point out. "I think there's one over there." I'm thinking that if we're in a church, we can't yell and fight with each other. Or throw things.

"Here at Disney World?" she says. "Who would want to get married here?"

"Lots of people. Mickey and Minnie. Donald and Daisy. Simba and Nala?"

Cecilia smiles again. "Okay, fine, let's go to church."

We walk in silence, until we get to the small chapel I knew was located somewhere in the area. For being Disney World, it's sort of normal. Cecilia does her usual routine when she gets in through the doors; at first she looks toward the ceiling, then she does that cross-thing with her hands, and kneels when she gets up to the altar. Yeah, right, she doesn't believe in God.

I don't do any of those things, because I have no idea how to do them. We sit down on the bench up front, and I know that I should say something.

"Nice place to get married," Cecilia snorts before I have the chance to open my mouth. "Poor bastards."

"Maybe we should get married," I say, even though I know it's the absolutely last thing in the world I should be saying.

"Sure, and why not get some kids while we're at it?" she mutters.

I close my eyes. "Not now! But when we get older, we should get married."

"You know, if you're married you can't sleep with other girls," she points out, and I'm not sure if she's serious or not.

"And you can't sleep with other men," I reply. Great, we're going to fight in the church, aren't we?

Cecilia looks over to the podium. "Good thing I'm only sleeping with you, then."

"No one's sleeping with anyone," I say, trying to get the conversation under control.

"And whose fault is that? Lex slept in your bed."

"You slept in Anthony's bed."

"You like Lex."

"And Anthony likes you," I shoot back, but I know the real answer was 'no, I don't like Lex'.

Cecilia gets up and does that cross-thing again, then she leaves and I follow. "Let's not get married in here," she suggests and opens the front door.

What did just happen anyway? Did she agree to get married? Now I'm going to panic. "Tell me how to do that thing," I ask and grab her arm. She turns around. "That cross-thing, with your hands."

She smiles again. Then she puts her hand on my forehead, moves it to my left shoulder, then my right, and then she hits her fist right at my heart. "Now you're good to go," she says and grabs my hand.

"Thanks," I reply, while trying to practice the whole routine with my other hand. "What do you want to do now?"

"Nothing," she answers and keeps on walking.

"Wanna go to the Tower of Terror?" I joke.

She shrugs. "No, not at all. You wanna go hang out with Lex?"

"You wanna go hang out with Anthony?"

We're not getting anywhere at all if we're behaving like this. "Isn't there anything you want to do here?" I ask.

My God, she's difficult today. "Actually, there's one thing I've always wanted to do," she admits. "I want to see the parade, and the fireworks." Sounds like something I can do for her.

"You got it," I say, while missing Lex. It's so easy to talk to her. "You want something to eat?"

"No," she mumbles and lets go of my hand. "I have a sandwich."

"Don't worry, I can pay," I say automatically. Damn.

"No! Don't do that," she sighs. "Don't try and show your affection with money. I hate it when you're trying to buy me off."

I roll my eyes. "Do you wanna borrow?"

While bitching about who's supposed to pay, her or me, I realize that we're always doing this. We argue and bicker with each other, even when there's no meaning. "I'm hungry," I point out. "Wanna watch me eat?"

"No, not really. You wanna watch me leave?"

I begin to laugh. The stupid thing is that none of us really have any good insults to throw. Unless we're getting personal, and that usually ends with us breaking up.

"Look, let's go do something we both like," I smile. She chews on her lower lip for a second, then she grins.

"Like what?"

We have a lot in common, even though it might seem strange. For one thing, I learned how you could sneak up on the roof of the school, without making the alarm go off. Cecilia showed me that. We used to be up there all the time, looking at the view and talk. That's why it seems so strange that she would freak out like that at the Tower of Terror, because she's not THAT afraid of heights.

That's the only thing she's taught me. How to sneak out of the building without getting noticed.

I've been teaching her lots of things since we got together. How to dance, because she didn't know that until last year. How to be terrified for bugs and bees (I'm allergic and all the bugs chase me all the time). How to do tequila-shots, you know, with the salt and lemon and all that. Not necessarily in that order. Although now I regret showing her, since she's getting drunk all the time.

I taught her how to stop on the ice so the ice goes flying everywhere. She does that all the time now. I also taught her how to smoke, but I've forbidden her to ever try that again. I just had to teach her, because I'm a bad influence. I taught her how to do chocolate-flavored cookie-dough, without lighting the house on fire.

I've also been trying to teach her how to drive, but she's not a good driver. I learnt how to drive when I was twelve, because I had to. My brother became really sick one night when both my parents were away, and the emergency room refused to send an ambulance because it wasn't considered as an emergency. It was too late to get a taxi, so I had to drive. My brother almost died that night, because my Mom had left laundry detergent out, so my brother had eaten it, thinking it was candy. If I hadn't taken him to the hospital, he would've died.

Of course, my Dad was furious because I took the Mercedes without asking. Talk about priorities. It's sad. We have millions of dollars to spend on worthless things, but when my brother needed help, no one came to his rescue. It sucks being rich.

"Let's just spend some time together," I suggest and take Cecilia's hand again. This time she doesn't say anything clever back, so we're bound to have at least two moments of non-fighting.

Actually, we don't fight at all after that. I talk her into letting me buy her food, and after a few hours she forgets that she's mad at me. And I forget why the hell I'm so miserable. Luckily, we don't meet up with anyone from the team. After Lex's loud-mouthed comment earlier, they would only bug us.

We end up by the water, eating ice-cream. Well, I'm eating it, Cecilia is stirring it until it's drinkable. "You don't want it?" I ask when she's pouring some of the ice-cream down on the ground.

"Yeah, but it's too cold," she explains and tries to kick away a bird, who's showing interest in the ice-cream. "Get away!"

"Don't kick the birds," I sigh and put my hand on her leg. "That's not allowed."

She opens her mouth to say something really bad, but she stops herself. "Damn bird."

I have never met a girl who curses as much as my girlfriend. She even make up her own words. "There are children around," I point out when she begins attacking the bird again.

"So? That's really not my problem, is it?"

I'm close to say something like 'In that case, what is your problem?', but I don't. She'd only turn her anger towards me instead. When the bird flies away, Cecilia becomes happy again. "When does the parade begin?"

I look at my watch. "Soon, I guess. Let's just stay here until we have to go."

"Uh, sure. Why?" she asks and looks around. "There's nothing to do here. Look, they have a souvenir-shop!"

While killing some time down by the water, I'm beginning to plot on how to talk serious with her. There's this strange thought going through my mind. What if we can't solve this problem? What if this is really it, this time?

We head back to Main Street in time for the parade, and I think I see some people from the team there. I don't care, I just want to be with my girlfriend right now.

We're about to grab something more to eat when Cecilia just stops dead, right in the middle of the street. I turn around to wait for her, but she doesn't move. "What's up? Did you see a bug?"

"No," she says and stares at me. "Why did you want me to spend the day with you?"

"Because I miss you. You're my girlfriend, I have to..."

"You have to miss me?" she interrupts.

"No, I was going to say that I have to give you some attention too."

"You're just jealous because I spent yesterday with Anthony," she giggles and hurries up to me. "Otherwise I'd be hanging out with Adam today, hearing him complain about Charlie."

"I'm not jealous," I mutter. "I just don't trust him. Lex says..."

"Lex says this, and Lex says that. Did Lex tell you to spend the day with me?"

"Well, yeah, but that's..."

"She did?" Cecilia says, sounding horrified. "But I thought..."

"I was going to ask you to come with me today anyway," I explain. "Lex had nothing to do with it, we were just talking."

Cecilia shrugs and gives me a hurt look. "That's fine. Let's just go see the fireworks."

Another awkward silence occurs. It didn't used to be like this. We used to talk about everything, we used to spend every second together, and we used to be unable to stop kissing each other once we got started. We used to really love each other. Now I'm not even sure if we like each other.

No, I didn't mean that. I meant that I'm not sure if we feel the same way as we used to feel.

I'm surprised that she's still here. If we were back home in Minnesota, she probably would've left. She grabs my hand again, and doesn't let go. I guess it's the atmosphere. You can't be unhappy when you're at the happiest place on earth.

***

We sneak back to our room, hoping that the others won't see us. I don't know, I just don't need their looks and whisperings right now.

Cecilia opens the door, I guess for once we both have our keys with us. "You wanna go inside?" she asks.

"Where else am I supposed to go?" I answer and push the door open. "I'm not sleeping in the hallway, that's for sure."

I have always wondered how I can be calm when there's chaos around me. I guess it's because I grew up in a home where one day didn't go by without something was broken or thrown at someone. I'm the oldest, I had to keep calm so I could get my brothers away from the fighting. That's probably why I'm the only one who can get Cecilia to calm down when she's going ballistic at something.

Too bad I inherited that yelling-gene from my parents. The ability to say things I don't mean, and how to hurt the person I love the most. That's why I'm never having any children.

"Let's never have children," I think out loud.

"You got it," Cecilia says and kicks off her shoes. "Why even think about that? What's going on in your head?"

"Nothing," I shrug. "You know, we talked at the church..."

Cecilia interrupts me with a laugh. "I wasn't serious! Believe me, you have nothing to be afraid of. We're not getting married."

"Oh?" I say, feeling both relieved and hurt. What's wrong with me?

"I don't believe in God, or in marriages or weddings and all that," she rants and walks up to me. "I'm just not into stuff like that, because I don't believe in true love."

Lex is so going to have to eat up her words. "You don't love me?" I ask. This is our problem. We speak too much. During all this time we've been together, she hasn't said she loves me, not even once. She just can't say those words, even though I know she's in love with me.

"Of course I do," she smiles. That's not saying she loves me, that's agreeing on something I said.

"Say it," I mutter. "Say that you love me."

"Why? You know that it's true anyway."

"I just want to hear it."

She shakes her head. "Why can't you just trust me? This is just like before, when I said that I didn't have a problem with sex, but you still didn't believe me."

"That has nothing to do with this," I snap.

Cecilia looks close to an outburst now. "So why is it so important to you?"

"I just need to know that you really love me!" I practically shout at her.

"Not that! Why is sex so important?"

"That's not important," I disagree. "Love is important, sex is not."

"Is that why we never talk about it?" she wants to know. "Or is it because you'd rather be with someone else?"

There are some things I just can't solve. I think this is one of those things. "Maybe it's not someone else," I hiss. "Maybe we're just not meant to be together."

"Well, you've been waiting a really long time to tell me to go to hell. That's okay, I'm sure you'd rather go sleep with Lex instead."

"She has nothing to do with this. And unless you really want to talk about what happened last time we tried to have sex, I suggest you shut up."

"Don't tell me to shut up!" she screams at me. I take one step back, just to be sure she won't throw anything at me. "I thought you didn't want to talk, but it's obvious, you just don't want to talk with me."

She walks by me and goes out on the balcony. I put my hands into my pockets and moan. This isn't really one of my greatest plans ever.

"Cecilia, I'm sorry," I give in. "I didn't mean that. I'm just confused about what we're doing. And what we're not doing."

I join her out on the balcony, and she doesn't tell me to go to hell. Instead she turns around and puts her hands on my shoulders. "Right now, we're not doing anything at all," she explains. "But if you could only listen to me, and stop screwing around, you'd know that the only reason for us not having sex is because you haven't really talked to me in months."

"I know," I mumble. "I just didn't want to pressure you, and then we just stopped talking altogether."

"You said it was okay to wait," she reminds me. "But I never thought you'd wait this long to bring it up again. Don't you want me?"

"I do," I assure her. "It doesn't matter if we have sex or not, it's not what's wrong with this relationship."

"Nothing is wrong," she says. "And I... I really do want to try again."

Ouch, she just shut down my whole nerve-system. How the hell do you respond to such a statement? "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am."

The last time I asked if she was sure, she answered 'I think so'. That would've been my cue to not go any further, and tell her that she had to be really sure. I'm an idiot, because I didn't pay attention to what she was really feeling. No wonder it all went to hell after that.

"I'm waiting for you to kiss me," she announces and shakes my arm. "Hello!"

I laugh. "Sorry."

So I kiss her, and she kisses me back. And for once, it feels right. I'm not feeling guilty for ignoring her, or annoyed because she's irritating me. My mind doesn't wander from what I'm really doing, and I know that I'm not angry anymore.

We walk back inside, and she put her arms around my neck. "You're serious, right?" she asks. "You're not only saying things because you want to sleep with me?"

"I love you, I would never do that!" I exclaim. "Not that I don't want to sleep with you, because I do. What was the question again?"

There's much you can ask of me, but to expect me to be completely rational and calm in a situation like this? I'm two inches away from having a nervous breakdown.

Cecilia doesn't answer, she just smiles at me and kisses me again. I don't know what's going on. What does this mean? Am I really this stupid?

I put my arms around her and lift her up on the bed. I'm trying to be the responsible one, like always, but I still can't manage to function as normal. She's just too close, and too intense, I can barely breath. Neither can she, she gasps for air and I lie down on top of her.

That first time is only perfect in the movies. Believe me, in real life it's much more of an anxious feeling. Not at all glamorous, because you're shaking with fear, and you're sweaty, and you don't really know what you're doing. It makes you psychically instable, and it's probably one of the toughest things to go through.

My thoughts aren't exactly gathered, and I'm really trying hard not to throw up from the pressure I'm feeling. My heart is pounding, and I can't really move. It's awful to feel like you don't have control over the situation.

I guess it's the closeness that makes me nervous. To be with her like this, to touch her, to have her in my arms.

Suddenly she pushes me away. "We're really going to go through with this, right?" she whispers nervously.

"If you're sure you want to," I answer.

"Yeah. You do have... You know, protection," she stutters, mostly because I'm lying on her with all my weight, and that makes it hard for her to speak.

"Yeah," I say. "Don't worry."

She opens her mouth to say something more, but she never does. I'm too shaken up to ask about it, and I think I'm going to pass out.

The rest is sort of blurry. I loose myself somewhere along the way, and since I've never been in a situation like this before, I can't explain my emotions.

It just downs on me some time later that we weren't actually supposed to solve our problems with sex. At least that's what Lex said.

***

When I finally come to my senses, I'm not sure where I am. Then I see the blue ceiling, and I realize that I'm still where I was two hours ago. I've been here for two hours, and I've probably spent one hour trying to think. This is the same room, the same spot, where I was when everything changed a couple of days ago. I never knew I'd be lying here, only two days later. I didn't plan for this to happen.

My arm's asleep, and I figure out it's because I have put it under the pillow Cecilia is sleeping on. I don't want to move my arm in case she wakes up. Although, I'm not sure if she's sleeping or not. It's really hot under the cover, but I'm still terrified of moving. Cecilia is crawled up next to me, rolled up into her own cover.

I put my hand around her waist to pull her closer, and then I kiss her on the shoulder. She moves a little, and I'm still wondering if she's awake or not.

Then she moves some more and put her hand into mine. Her fingers brush against mine, and she's so tiny. Her fingers, her arms, everything about her.

Cecilia takes a deep breath, and then she moves her head. She swallows hard and gasps for air again, and I realize she's crying. I feel like crying to, but for a different reason. How is this going to affect our relationship? Did we just kill whatever was left of it? I hate not knowing how things will turn out.

"Are you okay?" I say and play with her fingers.

"I'm fine," she mumbles, still sobbing quietly.

"No, you're not," I reply. She's reluctant to turn around to face me, so I lean over her. Usually I tell her to stop crying, because I really hate the sound. I can't stand it. But now I just let her cry, I think that's what she needs to do. I try to sooth her by holding her tight in my embrace, and a second later she becomes quiet. I wipe away her tears and brush her hair away from her face.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles. I finally get her to face me, and she puts her head against my shoulder.

"Don't be sorry," I tell her. "It's okay, you're allowed to cry."

"No, I'm not."

"Of course you are. Why are you crying? Did it hurt?" Maybe I should've asked that one hour ago, when it was more of a topical question, but I still haven't grasped the situation enough. I'm still in that stage where I have to defy every little thing that just happened, and I'm just starting to remember every moment.

"I guess," she sniffles. "Yeah, it did, actually."

Now I'm feeling both uncomfortable and guilty. "I'm sorry," I say, knowing that I just told HER not to say that. "I didn't... I... Umm..." Great, now I've lost my ability to speak as well.

"That's okay," she says. "It was better then last time, considering how much it hurt then. I sort of understood that it would hurt now too. But, I guess it didn't hurt the whole time. Umm, what time is it?"

"Close to midnight, I think," I reply, looking at the digital clock at the night-stand.

"Could you just stay a bit longer?" she murmurs. "Please."

"Of course. Where else would I go?" I ask and kiss her forehead. She moves away from me, but doesn't push me away completely. "You want me to leave?" Idiot, she just said that she wants me to stay.

"I just assumed you'd leave," she says. She closes her eyes and I watch as she slowly falls asleep.

I can't sleep. I just lie there, without thinking or moving. I don't think I've been this content for a long time. I'm actually happy. Of course I'm about to panic at any second, but that's beside the point. I just hope this won't make me do something stupid. I'm not good at handling my emotions in a healthy sort of way. This might push me over the edge, all the way back to miserable again.

I'm just not used to be this happy. It freaks me out. I'm having all these mixed feelings, and the strongest feeling of them all must be the love I feel for Cecilia.

Now here's the question: how do I screw this up in the easiest possible way?

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Oooh! cliffhanger! it'll be about a weeklong cliffhanger, too. I am going away on vacation tomorrow and will be gone for 8 days (August 9-16). so no more story until sometime during the week after next week…but I assure you, Cimmy and I will be writing our butts off, in spite of this separation between us. well, maybe not writing our butts off, but we'll be having ideas. anyway, have a wonderful week everyone!

-Kristine and Cimmy


	18. Haircuts Can Be So Disruptive

hey everybody! I had a wonderful vacation, and I'm thrilled to say I'm nice and tan. Cimmy and I started this chapter before I left, it just needed editing and stuff. here it is, we hope you like it. hit the review button when you're finished!

Cheers!  
-Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: The Ducks, as well as Disney World and everything in it, belong to the Walt Disney Company. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Anna, Anthony, Sammie, Chris, and Matt belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 18: Haircuts Can Be So Disruptive  
By Cimmy and NYgoldfish54**

**Cecilia's POV**

I have this nasty habit of escaping whenever there's a problem. I happen to think that conflicts are really horrible. I think I began to play hockey because I needed somewhere to be violent and physical. Without getting a note from school to go to the school counselor.

It's all sunny outside when I go down the stairs towards the lobby. I decided to go for a run. I usually never work out, unless we have practice, but I feel like running. Either I wait until Fred wakes up so I can avoid him by running, or I do something less insane and put on my running-shoes so I can run for real instead.

I even have my sweats on, usually I run in my regular clothes. And when I run, it's because I'm late or because someone's chasing me for something bad I did. Now I just want to run.

There is one reason for me to be up this early. I don't want to meet anyone I know. Of course I do anyway. And it just has to be my nemesis. Stupid Portman.

"Hey," he shouts at me from the elevator. "Psycho?"

I hate that nick-name. "What are you doing up?" I mutter and walk towards the door.

"Fulton snores," Portman complains. "I couldn't go back to sleep, so I figured I'd go and get some food. Where are you going, dressed like that? Don't you usually wear black? And why aren't you wearing your jeans?"

"Oh, the third degree," I snort. "I really want to be left alone."

"Well, tell me something else that's not news to me," he says and follows me. "Are you going running? I thought you hated to run."

"Go to hell, and leave me alone!" I exclaim. "I don't need this right now! I don't need you to be mean to me, and I don't need your pathetic insults!"

Portman stares at me in disbelief. "Wow, you're biting back," he laughs. "I'll go with you."

"What part of what I just said don't you understand?" I ask fiercely and walk out, down the stairs and over towards the street. He's still on my tail.

"I need to get food anyway," he grins. "Why are you so bitchy? Did you find Fred and Lex together in bed this morning? Again?"

"Screw you," I say.

Portman shrugs. I just don't seem to get him to understand how much I hate it when he's terrorizing me like this. "So, what's with the attitude?"

"Why do you care? You're supposed to hate me and leave me alone," I point out and cross the street without looking.

"But you're the only one up right now," he grins and runs after. "You're not hung-over again, are you?"

"No."

"Because you and Fred disappeared all day yesterday, and we all sort of wondered what happened. You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No."

"Well, too bad. That would've made this trip even more interesting," he smiles. "May I ask what's wrong?"

"I'm just tired," I say. "Mostly of myself."

"Get a haircut," Portman says and smiles. "You never change your appearance. Or even better, change your personality."

"Gee, thanks. Go drown somewhere."

"I like that comeback. It makes my comebacks sound so much more brilliant."

He leaves me alone when he finally finds a food-store that's open. I run the fastest I can away from both him and the hotel. I'm going to keep running until I'm so wiped that I pass out.

When I'm on my way back, my whole body aching from the effort I made, I stop to look at myself in the window of a shop. Maybe I SHOULD cut my hair? It's always been this long, maybe I should cut it? Just like Felicity did, but I don't think I'll cut it that short. And I think I'll do it myself. Not that I know what I'm doing, but I don't have any money to pay for a real cut.

I borrow some scissors at the front desk and sneak into the bathroom. I don't think Fred will appreciate this idea. But I'm just going to cut it a bit. My hair reaches a little longer then to my shoulders, so I could cut it so it's just above the shoulders instead. That's not a lot, right? And maybe I should make it un-even, because I can't cut it straight off. 

When I'm done, I think that maybe I should become a hair-dresser when I grow up. Because I like my hair this way, it's a bit more different then before. Wilder and shorter, somehow. Even though I like it, I put my hair up into a tiny pony-tail.

I open the door and hurry towards the elevator. I don't know where I'm going, really.

"Psycho?"

Oh, no.

"Yeah?"

"I didn't mean for you to REALLY cut your hair!" Portman shrieks. "I was kidding. What did you do? It looks pretty good, actually. But it's TOO short! Can you change it back?"

"Of course. That's the concept of a haircut."

"But it's not straight, it's got these sort of... levels! You always have straight hair!"

"What's with the obsession about my hair? You never cared before!"

"It's just different," he whimpers. "Don't tell your boyfriend that it was my idea."

I see that the rest of the team is gathered by the couch, waiting to get breakfast. Fred is there too. He's probably going to notice this at once, take down my pony-tail and say lots of things.

Fred's going to kill me.

***  
**Luis's POV **

Cecilia comes walking into the breakfast hall with Portman, and she's got a different haircut. We're all here; Connie woke us all up at some unearthly hour again. I'm watching Fred. He hasn't spotted Cee yet. 

Charlie, Adam, Goldberg, Averman, Lex, Julie, and Guy have seen her though. Stunned silence is slowly taking over the table, and the others are looking up one by one. Fred is still talking to Lex, but Lex is obviously not paying attention anymore. 

Fred looks up and sees Cee. He smiles, waves, and then focuses on her hair. His smile vanishes, his face pales. He's just staring at her. 

"Hi everyone," says Portman cheerfully, sitting down next to Sammie on Fulton's left. 

"I cut my hair," Cee announces, as if we couldn't tell. She's looking around for approval, and her eyes stop on Fred. Fred just continues to stare, as does everyone else, including myself. 

"Well, what do you think?" she asks us. I think the question is directed at Fred, but his silence and his shameless staring continues. 

"Well?" Cee asks again, a bite of frustration in her voice now. It's still directed at Fred, but he's not doing anything. Instead Lex replies, breaking the shocked silence. 

"It looks great, Cee," she says, smiling and standing to get a better look. "Who cut it?" 

"I did," Cee answers. 

"Really?" Lex asks, sounding deeply impressed. "It looks really great!" 

"Thanks," Cee says, flashing Lex a rare smile. 

"It does look good," I add. Hell, it does look nice, and I'm supposed to be the charming one, right? 

"Yeah," Anthony jumps in, "very pretty." 

"You really cut it yourself?" Connie asks from her position next to Guy. "It looks professionally done!" 

I guess now that Lex has broken the silence the others are having no trouble finding their voices. For everyone was now voicing their opinions, and they were positive ones...even Portman's. 

The complimenting continues, and I understand why. Once the original shock that Cecilia actually changed her appearance wears off, you have to admire how good it looks. It does look good...attractive even. 

Fred is the only one who hasn't said anything. "Fred?" Cee says. 

"What did you have to go and do that for?" he snaps at her. He gets up and starts to walk away, calling "Come on Lex," as he goes. 

Cecilia's eyes fill with tears, and seeing this, Lex doesn't instantly follow. She sits, looking torn, with something that looks strangely similar to sadness in her eyes. Instead, she gets up and walks across to Cee. She wraps her arms around Cee's body and just hugged her. Lex isn't that much bigger than Cee is, but Cee looks incredibly small sobbing into Lex's shirt. The silence is back. 

Fred, aware that Lex is not at his side, turns back to look, and sees the two of them standing there. "Fine!" he hollers, throwing his hands into the air and taking off out the door. 

"Go after him," Cee says to Lex, pulling away, and wiping her eyes. "He'll drink, he'll get himself into trouble, go." 

"But-" 

"Just go. It's you he wants anyway." 

Lex just stood there, confusion written all over her face. "Are you sure you want me to?" 

"GO!" Cecilia bellows at her. Lex backs away, as if frightened, then turns around and walks, somewhat reluctantly, out the doors and after Fred. 

Cee just stands there, tears leaking from her eyes until Anthony takes Lex's place as the human tissue. "Come on, Cecilia, come on," he pulls here away toward the dance room, and Cee, who usually squirms when being pulled anywhere, is led away with no form of resistance. 

"Fabulous," Jeff mumbles. "Fabulous." 

"Maybe we should finish and try to fix this mess?" Dwayne asks, sounding incredibly intelligent about the whole thing. 

"Yeah," says Goldberg. "Good plan, Cowboy." 

"What plan!?" Adam asks angrily. "That's a plan for forming a plan!" 

"Oh give it a rest, Banks," Charlie growls.  Adam and Charlie begin their constant bickering again. 

"Could you two please shut up? Please?" Kenny begs and Adam and Charlie stop. They glare at each other, and look around, but remain silent. 

"I can't believe those two," says Russ sound exasperated. 

"Which two?" Fulton asks. "Fred and Cecilia? Cecilia and Anthony? Or Fred and Lex?" 

"Fred and Cecilia. They were so happy yesterday, and today, Fred's back to being a bastard because Cee cut her hair? Does that make sense to anyone?" 

"Not really," says Averman, looking somewhat sad. Anna, sitting beside him, nods in agreement.

"Those haircuts can be so disruptive to everyday life," says Goldberg, rolling his eyes. "I mean, how could Cee change her hair? How dare she!?" he continues, sarcasm in his voice.

"It's Lex and Anthony who're breaking them up," says Guy. "They aren't really respecting that relationship at all." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" asks Matt, standing up to face Guy. 

"It means that since we got here Lex throws herself at Fred and Anthony just flirts continuously with Cecilia!" Guy exclaims, rising to his feet. 

"Bullshit," Jeff says, abandoning his place beside Julie and moving to Matt's side. "Fred and Cecilia have been having problems since before this trip! Don't try to pin this on Lex and Anthony!" 

"Well, they're not helping matters!" Fulton says, and while I don't think it's not their fault, I must agree that they're not helping much. Sammie, however, clearly thinks differently. She gives Fulton a very dirty look, and walks over to stand near Matt. Anna and Chris follow, forming something like a protective barrier, picking their side...the same way we would if someone was threatening one of the Ducks. 

"Lex has never, ever been 'the other woman.' She would never do that to her friends, and neither would Anthony," Sammie says. 

"Stop it, kids, don't get out of hand," Averman says, gazing at Anna. 

"Oh be quiet," says Portman. 

"What don't all of you shut up?" says Julie angrily. 

"Would you get Jeff's dick out of your mouth long enough to think about what you're saying?" snaps Guy. I'm surprised. Guy's not usually that mean. Jeff makes a furious move toward Guy, but Anna grabs his arm, shaking her head. 

It doesn't really matter that Jeff never got a chance to punch Guy, because as soon as Anna stopped Jeff, Guy got hit anyway. Connie slaps Guy hard, an angry look on her face. It's the first time I've seen Connie anything but happy on this trip. 

"Whose side are you on?" Guy hollers at her, and she doesn't even bother to look at him when she hollers at us. 

"You're idiots, all of you! We're in the happiest place on Earth and all you fucking do is argue and fight! There are no 'sides' here!" she glares at Guy and continues, "We're all friends remember!? Ducks! Or have you all forgotten that?" she says the last part calmly, but there's a hint of frightened sadness just below the surface. 

It's kind of scary how all it takes is someone's angry words to point out something that's right in front of your face. Nobody's saying anything. Lex isn't here to break the silence this time, so it might as well be me, right? 

"You're right, Connie," I find the words as they come. They're not planned. "We've sort of forgotten that, haven't we? We have been fighting like idiots, haven't we? We wouldn't even be here if wasn't for Lex and Jeff. Think about what you're saying...especially you, Guy. Lex O'Leary, the same girl who wouldn't go near Charlie because he was still with Linda, is trying to break up Fred and Cee? Come on." 

"What do you mean Lex wouldn't go near me when I was with Linda?" Charlie asks, looking confused. Adam and Jeff roll their eyes. 

"You know Lex better than I do, Jeff. She won't murder you the way she would me, so would you care to explain to clueless over here?" Adam says, looking at Jeff. 

"Glad to, Banksie, glad to," Jeff says, grinning at Adam. Then, turning to Charlie, he says, "Lex adored you from September through March, but she didn't want to approach you, because you were still dating that Linda girl." 

"Why didn't she come to me after I broke up with Linda?" Charlie asks Jeff. 

"Because, Captain Oblivious, she liked you from September to March. You broke up with Linda in May. She didn't like you anymore," Jeff says, rolling his eyes again. 

"How'd I miss that?" Charlie asks Adam. 

"You were so wrapped up with Linda and hockey. It was sick and scary and any time either of us-" Adam pointed at himself and Jeff "-tried to approach you, you went into some rant about hockey or this mushy gushy love rant for Linda. The love thing was gross, so we just gave up...all three of us. Me, Jeff, _and_ Lex." 

"Oh," says Charlie, looking slightly annoyed with himself. I'm fighting the urge to burst out laughing, and I can tell that Fulton, Portman, Russ, and Goldberg are too. Charlie went through this phase after the JV/Varsity game where he was possessed about hockey and Linda, and it was sort of disturbing at the time. We all knew about Lex's crush on Charlie, and how she refused to break them up. We all knew, including Guy. 

I look at Guy, and he seems to be considering this information. He sighs loudly, and holds his hand out to Jeff. "Sorry buddy. For what I said about Julie and for what I said about Lex," he says. Jeff nods understandingly and shakes Guy's hand. Guy offers his hand to Matt and Chris, and they shake too. Guy now turns to Julie. "Sorry Cat Lady," he says to her. 

"Yeah I know," she smiles and hangs her arm around his shoulders. 

"Friends again?" he asks. 

"Of course," she smiles. 

You have got to love that about Guy Germaine. He fesses up when he's wrong. If he knows it, he just admits it and apologizes. Sometimes he loses his temper and self control, but he always makes up for it, and when he finally realizes he's wrong, he doesn't let his pride stand in the way of his apologizing or accepting an apology when the other person is wrong. It's something you really have to admire about him, and when you think about it, you realize one thing. He's a good guy, that Guy Germaine. 

"Sorry I smacked you, Guy," Connie says, looking slightly ashamed. 

"It's ok," he kisses her. "I deserved it, didn't I?" 

Fulton and Sammie slap hands, grinning, and Anna rejoins Averman at his side. 

"So what now?" asks Kenny tentatively, as if afraid to break the peace. 

"Ya know, I'm not sure," says Goldberg, looking confused. 

"My guess would be go chill out by the pool," Dwayne grins. "After all, Ducks love water, don't they?" 

We all look at him. His display of logic is incredible. 

"Yeah, they definitely do," says Kenny. "Good idea, Dwayne." 

We all head for the pool, including Jeff, but Chris, Matt, Anna, and Sammie look hesitant, and hang back toward the back of the group. The only ones behind them are me, Charlie, and Banksie. They stop at the door, where two brooms are standing, waiting to be used. 

"What's the matter?" I ask, because I just don't know when to leave well enough alone. 

"Well," says Matt, "we're not exactly Ducks, are we?" 

"Don't let that stop you!" Charlie says coming up from behind me. "Neither is Banksie. He's a Hawk." 

Adam, who's standing next to Charlie, smacks him in the back of the head. "Just kidding," Charlie adds, rubbing the back of his head and grinning sheepishly at Banks. 

"Ass," Banks mumbles. 

"But in all seriousness," Charlie continues, "Lex and Jeff are pretty much Ducks now. They hang out with us at school, and they're our friends, they just don't play hockey. If you're friends with them, that's good enough for us." 

Matt, Chris, Sammie, and Anna look at each other, and then they smile at us. 

"I knew there was a reason Lex liked you. She doesn't waste her time on losers" Chris says to Charlie. 

"Well, I'm not sure that's true," says Adam, looking Charlie up and down. 

"Go find a bridge and jump, Banksie," Charlie says to him, in his sweetest voice. 

Banks grins, and says "Just kidding, of course." He and Charlie then slap hands. Those two are friends. It's hard to tell, because they're always arguing...but they are friends...best friends, probably. 

"Exactly. Lex is a Duck and a smart girl," I say, as Charlie, Adam, Matt, and Chris walk away, discussing the NHL. "Now which one of you two lovely ladies would like to escort me to the pool?" 

Anna and Sammie both look at me, each wearing this combination look of amusement and disgust. 

"Well?" I push a little farther. Big mistake. For they look at each other, at the brooms standing nearby, back at each other, and they grin. Anna grabs the brooms, and handing one to Sammie, they both start swinging.


	19. Visible Changes

hey all! Cimmy and I were online for hours today, writing this chapter. there's some real action in this chapter, it should be enjoyable. hit the review button when finished. this chapter is a long one, pee before you start reading. chapter 20 is already in the works.

Peace and Peaches,  
Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: the Ducks, as well as Disney World and everything in it, belong to the Walt Disney Company. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Anthony, Sammie, Matt, Anna, and Chris belong to NYgoldfish54. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
**Chapter 19: Visible Changes  
By Cimmy and NYgoldfish54**

Fulton's POV

While the rest of the team is resting by the pool, I decide to go inside and look for something to eat, since I really didn't get to finish my breakfast earlier. Even if some people have the ability to skip meals just like that, I just can't. My stomach isn't made for that.

I think about what's been going on the last couple of days, and I feel somewhat guilty for the commotion. I have a feeling that if I'd just talked to Portman earlier, he never would've taken out his frustrations on Cecilia, and she wouldn't have had so much repressed anger to take out on Fred. Fred never would've gotten drunk and beaten up by Anthony, so Lex and Anthony never would've shown interest in the feuding couple.

Talk about a bad chain reaction. This is all Portman's fault, when I think about it. If he hadn't been so afraid of what people think, we could've been fine right now.

I meet Fred in the door when I'm heading towards the kitchen. He doesn't stop to say hello. Someday I'll teach that boy some manners. Lex doesn't come running after him as usual. Instead, I hear her speak somewhere from the restaurant.

"He's just upset. Let him leave," she says. I assume she's talking to Cecilia. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

I've barely known Cecilia for a year, but I still know that when she's mad, you leave her alone. Otherwise she attacks. That's happened a dozen times out on the ice, which explains why she has so many minutes in penalty. Lex should know that too, she was there when Cecilia was punched out by an enforcer during a game. Being annoying has its downsides.

"I think you should leave," Cecilia snarls. I decide to go and break the two of them up before they begin to fight. Cecilia has put her hair back up, probably for a reason.

"I'm trying to help out!" Lex announces. "I'm your friend, I'm not trying to steal Fred away from you! Could you stop being so stubborn all the time?"

"I'm not stubborn," Cecilia howls. I walk over to them and Anthony's there too. He's giving me a confused look and shrugs. I'm used to girls fighting; Julie and Connie have their battles, especially when they're stealing clothes from each other. Thank God I'm gay.

"Yeah, you are!" Lex states. She's much more dominating then Cecilia is, and I'm pretty sure she'd crush Cee if they ever got into a real fight. Cecilia has a bad temper, but that doesn't help much, unless you need to scream your enemies away.

"No, I'm not! Stop following me around and leave me alone! For God's sake, can't you understand that I don't like you? I hate you! Go away!" Cecilia bellows and throws her fist into the wall.

"I'm not interested in Fred!" Lex shouts again. "I just think you're being small minded, and impossible to talk to. Maybe that's why he's not exactly thrilled about being with you right now."

"He doesn't want me," Cecilia mumbles and looks devastated. "He wants you. He's wanted you since he first saw you."

Lex shakes her head and opens her mouth to disagree, but doesn't get the chance. Cecilia looks up with a raged expression on her face. "This is all your fault. You bitch!" she yells and throws herself over Lex.

Even though I should be the one taking Cee's side right now, I'm convinced that she's the one that's out of line. Lex doesn't deserve being yelled at, because she hasn't been doing anything wrong. Neither has Anthony. Actually, he's probably the most innocent of them all in this drama. Cecilia is wrong to blame Lex, and she should be angry at Fred instead.

"Cut it out," I yell at her when they both fall into one of the tables. Ouch, that had got to hurt. "Be reasonable!" I guess I'm not used to breaking fights up. I just know how to start them.

The screams and crashes make the others come running too. Oh no, now they have yet another reason to rally up into two groups and be mad. This time it's going to be ugly, because I just know Lex's friends won't like that Cecilia attacked her.

"What the hell is going on here?" Charlie exclaims when he comes bursting in through the doors. "What are you doing?"

I'm just about to answer when Lex pushes Cecilia into a food cart. It's sort of like on the airplane, but this time it's pastry and cake that goes flying. And none of it sticks to Charlie; it all falls over Lex and Cecilia. They keep rolling around hitting each other, all messy from the cream.

Lex would probably make a great hockey player, based on her fighting ability. Maybe she should try out for next year. Too bad she lacks in the skating skills. Cecilia has the skating skills, but lacks of true fighting spirit. She's just too hot headed. Lex is probably going to kill her. There, problem solved!

"Get off me!" Lex yells.

"I hate you!" Cecilia screams back.

We all try to break them up, but nothing works. There are too much kicking and fist fighting, so we are all close to being assaulted by them when we go near.

"You can't fight with each other!" Jeff yells. "Lex, you won't be able to sing!"

"Oh, screw you!"

"I think I'll stay out of this," Jeff rolls his eyes.

Lex succeeds with getting back on her feet, but Cecilia quickly knocks her down again, throwing her into the counter. The hotel personnel are beginning to get annoyed, and I just know that if they don't stop fighting, we'll get thrown out.

When Lex gets a chance to punch Cecilia right in the face so she finally steps back, Jeff and Matt grab Lex to drag her away. Charlie and Portman do the same to Cecilia, but she's too upset to just give in. She shoves Charlie away, and then she hits Portman right on the nose and he lets go of her. I have a feeling she's wanted to do that for a long time.

"Get off me!" Cecilia yells and walks backward right into a table. Lex really kicked her ass, and I think they both deserved what they got. Not like I was all aware of what was going on, but they were both way out of line. Okay, mostly Cecilia, but I still have to take her side, she being a Duck and all.

"Could you calm down?" Portman whines and rubs his nose. "That hurt!" Sometimes he annoys the hell out of me.

Lex still looks angry, and Cecilia is probably going to attack once more unless we stop her. And where is the source of all this? Fred? He just left us to take care of the mess _he_ caused.

"Can't you understand? It's her fault! All of this!" Cecilia screams with an upset voice, tears running down her cheeks. "How can you do that to me? Why don't you understand?"

We're all quiet, knowing that she's about to fall apart and calm down in just a moment. Yeah, _we_ know that, but the band doesn't. They all begin to defend Lex.

"Hey, you were the one starting all this!" Matt says. "Don't think we'll feel bad for you, just because your boyfriend can't keep his eyes off other girls!"

"Yeah! And you have no right to attack Lex like that! You stay away from her, or we'll throw you out of this hotel!" Sammie continues, rubbing Lex's arm. "None of this is her fault!"

"Leave her alone," Charlie sighs, holding up his hand in their direction. "She's had enough."

"She's had enough? She could use some sense kicked into her," Anna shakes her head. "Look at what she did to Lex!"

"Well, Lex knows how to defend herself," Portman replies. "Look at what she did to Psycho! I mean Cee."

"You don't mess with Lex," Jeff points out, still not knowing what to do. He spent all year hanging out with Cecilia, so he knows her pretty well by now. "And you should both stop it."

I look around, and we're all gathered again. Except from the missing boyfriend, of course. The Ducks are standing in a half-circle in front of the door, and the band are still standing next to Lex, soothing her.

"Cecilia?" Charlie tries. "Are you okay?" He takes one step towards her, and she stumbles back into the wall. "Sorry."

"Why don't you understand me?" she whispers to him. "How can you... Why doesn't he..." Her voice trails off into silent mumbling, and she's still crying. I suppose it's not just because Lex punched her. It must feel awful to not have control over your feelings. I notice that she's shaking. If I only had some wise thing to say, but I don't. Hell, I can't even get my boyfriend to show me some affection!

"Look, it's gonna be alright," Charlie tells her, grabbing her hand. She looks up, stares at him for a second and then tries to pull away. "Wait...!"

Cecilia doesn't want to wait, and she begins to struggle even more. Charlie holds her back while she's kicking and screaming at him to let go. She's about to slap him again when Fred comes running from out of nowhere.

"What the hell is going on?" he asks with an upset voice. "Charlie, let her go!" Fred hurries up to them and grabs Cecilia's arms, and Charlie seems relieved that he doesn't have to deal with her anymore.

We all try to explain to him what's happened while he was gone, but since we all talk at once, nothing but murmur can be heard. Fred doesn't seem to care anyway; he's busy trying to calm down Cecilia. I don't know how he does it, but somehow he manages to keep her from scratching his eyes out.

"Okay, that's it! What are we going to do about this?" Charlie asks us all. What, is it suddenly _our_ fault?

"About what? This has nothing to do with us!" Julie says.

For some reason, Connie is still bouncing up and down. Even though she's usually bouncing with excitement, and now it's more of an upset bouncing, it's still bouncing. Very irritating.

"There are some major tensions among us," Charlie speaks with his usual 'captain-voice'. "Why are you acting like mental cases!?"

I look at Fred, who's talking to Cecilia while holding her face with his hands to get her to look at him. Wow, I wish I had that skill. "Maybe it's because of the environment," I suggest.

"Very funny," Charlie mutters. "If you don't cut it out, we're all going to be put on the first plane back to Minnesota. You want that?"

"Technically, we're not from there, so..." Portman begins but doesn't finish his sentence. "Never mind." He continues to rub his nose instead.

"There is some weird shit going on here!" Charlie jumps with anger. He's sort of amusing when he's like this. "Tell me what's going on!"

"Nothing," we all answer. If he only knew...

"That's it. Someone better be gay, dying, or pregnant, or I'm sending you all back home!"

"Fine, I'm gay," I say with a smile.

They all look at me, until Portman coughs violently. "I'm dying!" he shouts.

Charlie gives him a doubtful look. Julie sighs. "I guess I could be the pregnant one, then," she says, making Jeff fall over.

"I hate you all," Charlie growls. "Go pack."

"I'm not really pregnant, you fool," Julie informs Jeff. "Get up from the floor."

He slowly crawls back up, while Fred's carrying Cecilia over to us. "Why are we packing?" he asks.

"Because I need to go home and find myself a new team," Charlie mutters and looks at Cecilia. "Welcome back."

Portman goes over to stand next to Charlie. "You know, I'm not really dying," he says stupidly. Duh, we know.

"Thanks for the heads-up," Charlie says sarcastically, and then he looks at me. "And I suppose you're not gay either?"

"Uh, well, actually..." I begin, but Portman panics before I get the chance to tell them the truth. He pulls Cecilia away from Fred and kisses her affectionately. Well, if he wasn't gay before, he's probably going to be gay now.

"What are you doing?" Fred howls.

Portman lets go of Cecilia and she looses her balance and bumps into the floor. Nice going, Einstein. Everyone knows he hates her; this will only make them suspicious.

"You're not gay, are you?" Averman asks. I knew it! If he'd just kissed Julie, or Connie, or anyone but Psycho, they never would've suspect anything!

"Why would I be gay?"

"Uh, well, since you hate Cecilia, why would you kiss her unless to prove yourself that you're not gay," Luis points out. That bastard already knows, so why is he piping up?

"Eh..." Portman winces and looks at me.

Fred shakes his head. "I leave for two seconds and you all tear down the sky? No one's dying, or gay, or pregnant. Are you looking for trouble?"

"Not really," Ken answers. "We just find it everywhere we go."

"Tell me about it," I mutter and glare at Portman.

"Who injured Cecilia?" Fred continues. And here we go again!

"What do you care?" Cecilia says.

"Shouldn't I care?"

"I don't know, should you?" she snaps and gives Portman a threatening look. "Don't kiss me!"

Portman never gets the chance to argue back, because Fred interrupts him. "I think you need to apologize to me," he tells his girlfriend. And we were doing fine just a minute ago...

"Like hell I will. This is all your fault. You can go and pack your bags for all I care. Just don't touch my things."

"Fine, be that way," Fred answers sourly. "Don't come crying the next time someone kicks your ass. And believe me, it's going to happen again if I know you well enough."

"Maybe you don't know me," she snorts. "Wanna bet?"

Argh, how they annoy me!

"Okay, yeah, let's bet! Or let's flip a coin about it. Here!" Fred throws her a penny and she makes a face at him.

"What do you want, heads or tails?"

"Heads."

"Oh, you want head do you? Well, I'm sure as hell not going to give you them, not for all the coins in the world!" she shouts.

"Who asked you to? Wait, are we talking coins or dollars?" he answers. This is sort of entertaining, actually.

"Why?"

"Because coins are worth less," he points out, stating the obvious. Cecilia throws back the penny at him.

"Whatever!"

"Yeah, whatever!"

They are just about to get into another nasty fight, when Portman stomps his foot in the floor. "Fine, I'm gay!" he shouts, grabs my arm and shoves me onto the couch to kiss me. Talk about the best way to end a fight. Even Cecilia shuts up.

"What?" Charlie laughs. "Are you sure? You're not dying again, are you?"

"That's so cheesy," Connie giggles.

"So, why would you kiss _my_ girlfriend?" Fred whimpers and catches Cecilia before she has time to sneak away. "She's not gay!"

"Even if she were gay, she still wouldn't kiss Portman. That's the concept. Of being gay, I mean," Charlie explains to Fred, and Fred gives him a threatening stare. My, he's getting good at delivering those.

"This was a nice twist and all," Fred mutters. "But I still don't know what went on earlier. Why are the two of you covered in..." He puts his finger on Cecilia's nose and wipes the cream off her face. "...cream?"

"Ha! Wouldn't you like to lick that off!" Luis laughs.

"Shutting up would be perfect for you right now," Charlie suggests, holding Fred back from crushing Luis into tiny Luis pieces.

Suddenly Lex steps up to them and shakes off her own delicious cover. "This is just... perfect!" she bellows. "Why can't you ever get along!?"

No one expected her to explode like that. It's more of a Cecilia thing. "Lex..." Fred says, but this time she doesn't obey him at all.

"No! Why should I put up with you? You don't care about me! You just want to make your insane girlfriend jealous! I'm so sick and tired of this! And now, now everyone takes her side just because she's mentally instable," Lex shouts and shoves Fred in the shoulder. "Who do you want? Her or me? How's it going to be?"

Did you two fight?" Fred asks, obviously not paying any attention to what Lex is saying. "Why would you punch her?"

"She punched me!" both Lex and Cecilia bellow at the same time.

I can just imagine what Portman is going to have to do to me to break them up this time. Ha! No, it's not funny...

"Calm down!" Fred says with a voice of reason. Cecilia shuts up, but Lex doesn't.

"Unless you want the two of us to finish each other off, I suggest you make up your mind and decide who you want to be with!" Lex yells, sort of scaring us all.

"I knew you wanted him!" Cecilia cries, all worked up again. Maybe we should put them both to sleep?

"Like you don't want Anthony! You've been drooling all over him since he was nursing you after you got drunk! You're practically an alcoholic!" Lex bites back. "And if you think being punched was bad, just imagine what I'll do if you come close to me again!"

"Don't do this," Charlie whines. "Stop fighting. It's not worth it. He's not worth it."

"Hey!" Fred shouts. "I could be worth it."

"Believe me, you're not," Charlie says harshly, and I'm beginning to agree with him. What's up with all this fuss, just to be the center of Fred's attention? Is he that dreamy? I don't see it.

The girls keep pushing each other, and this time we all decide to break them apart before they start the fist throwing again. Fred pulls Cecilia in one direction, while Charlie holds Lex back. Charlie isn't strong enough, sadly. He looses his grip of Lex and she tumbles right into Fred and Cecilia, so they all crash into the floor.

"And by the way!" Lex hisses and grabs Cecilia's sweater. "You're the bitch, not me!" Cecilia must've realized that she's way undermined right now, and she holds her hands up to cover her face. That makes Lex hesitate for a second, which leaves Fred enough time to push them apart again.

"Don't touch her!" he warns Lex and grabs her arm. Lex looks like she's about to take a swing at Fred, but before she does, Jeff joins the 'conversation'.

"Let go of her," he tells Fred, and Fred does as told. Lex takes this as an opportunity to give back at Cecilia, so she throws her hand out and hits her in the face again. They both topple over once more, and we all moan. Stupid girls.

Cecilia crawls back up and doesn't try to fight back. This time she's crying, and that makes Fred soften up. "What happened?" he asks. Is he completely oblivious, or what?

"You don't really love me, do you?" she sobs. "You just said all those things last night because... How could you do that to me? How could you string me along, just so you could sleep with me...?"

Fred shakes his head violently. "It wasn't like that, you know that. I love you. I do. I love you, Cecilia. I just don't think I can handle this right now."

I'm confused. What's there to handle? Did they sleep together last night? Lex takes one step back and looks to be on the verge of tears too. "You know what, Fred? You can just go to hell. All you do is lie and play dirty tricks. You've taken advantage of both of us, and now you expect us to be fine with that?"

"Are you breaking up with him?" Connie asks, looking confused. "And you two, what the hell are you doing?"

"Yeah, I'm breaking up with him!" Lex exclaims.

"We weren't dating," Fred screams back, also with tears in his eyes.

"Whatever!"

"You can't break up with him if you're not dating him," Cecilia says quietly. "I'm his girlfriend, I'm the only one who can officially break up with him."

We all look at her. "But you're not going to, are you?" Fred asks worriedly. It must really suck to be dumped by two girls twice on the same day, practically at the same time.

"I guess not. I guess I love you too much," Cecilia sniffles and wipes the tears out of her eyes. "And I'm tired of fighting with Lex, and I'm tired of fighting with you. If you don't want me, just say so, and please just break up with me already. Please."

There's an awkward silence settling over the room, and we wait for Fred's answer. Lex has pulled herself together, has wrapped herself up in Matt's arms, and is also waiting for Fred to speak his mind.

"Wait, say that again," he suddenly says loudly, making us jump. Why is he smiling? I thought this was serious.

Cecilia swallows hard and opens her mouth to continue. Then she looks at Lex and starts to cry even more. "I love you."

Fred's face goes from devastated to surprised. Then he smiles again. "Please say it again," he begs her.

"I love you," she says, throwing her arms around his neck. "Please don't break up with me, Fred. I love you."

I start to laugh. Is that all that is to it? Are those three words so important that they can actually save a relationship? I must try that on Portman later. 

"I'm so sorry," Cecilia cries into his shoulder. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not. Of course it's not," Fred sooths, rubbing her back. "It's not your fault at all."

"Hey, while we're having this feel good spirit, how about you two make up with each other?" Charlie suggests and points at Lex. "Just to give us some peace and quiet."

Lex doesn't seem willing to admit that she's wrong, but she doesn't have time to say anything. "I'm sorry, Lex," Cecilia sniffles and goes over to her. Matt holds Lex tighter, as if afraid the two would go after each other again, but Lex pulls away to come face to face with Cecilia again. "I really don't hate you and I shouldn't have called you a bitch."

"Shouldn't you apologize for punching her as well?" Sammie wonders out loud.

"I'm sorry too," Lex answers, disregarding Sammie's comment. "I shouldn't have come between you two. Sorry if I hurt you."

They both look at each other, Cecilia wiping away her tears, and Lex sighing deeply.

I suppose we have to use that as our happy ending. I hope they get over this, because I'd hate it if they're going to act like this all year, while avoiding each other.

Cecilia just nods at Lex and smiles, then she runs along toward the exit. She's still pretty upset, and she's bruised and is bleeding from Lex's violent treatment earlier. I don't feel so bad for her, though. Lex looks torn as well. Plus, Cecilia got the guy in the end, and she got his love and all that. I feel bad for Lex. She lost it all.

Lex goes over and shoves at Fred a little.

"I hope you realize that this means that we're not going to be lab partners anymore. You just have to settle for Jeff from now on."

"Eh, I hope you realize that leaves you with Cecilia during all of next year," he points out.

Lex bites her lip and looks to be thinking hard. "Guess what? You're my lab partner again!" she exclaims with a smile.

"Yay!" Fred says sarcastically. "No hard feelings?"

"Nah. I'll kill you later."

Fred leaves to find Cecilia, and we all look at each other, relieved that they've finally left.

Anthony looks at Lex and sighs a little. "It sucks being dumped, doesn't it?" he says to her. I smile, since he was the only real victim in this emotional train crash.

"Hey, I dumped him! You're the dumped one!" Lex points out.

Anthony rolls his eyes. "Sure. You don't wanna hook up, do you?" he asks, sounding serious, but he's obviously joking.

"Nah, not really," Lex wrinkles her nose.

"Good. See ya." They both leave to walk in different directions, and we walk back out on the terrace.

I think what just happened is way too much information for the Ducks to handle in so little time. They look really confused and surprised. I can't blame them, but I still feel great. There's nothing like a big blow-up to gather ones feelings.

***

****

Anthony's POV

I'm watching all the Ducks splash around in the pool. Jeff is with Julie, Anna with Averman, Fulton and Sammie seem to be trying to see who can drown the other first, and obviously, Fulton's winning. Matt and Luis are doing cannonballs to see who can make the greatest splash. Connie and Guy are judging that contest. Charlie and Adam are laughing at Kenny and Goldberg, who are having chicken fights with Dwayne and Russ. It's this game where Kenny is on Goldberg's shoulders and Dwayne is on Russ's shoulders and they're trying to knock each other over. Chris is trying to teach Portman how to dive, but it's not really working. He keeps doing belly flops. Fred and Cecilia are splashing near by.

I'm not joining in the festivities of the now happy, but somewhat confused Ducks. Between the fight for Fred's attention and Fulton and Portman's sexuality…well, let's just say it really threw them for a loop, and they're doing the mature thing by not saying anything and ignoring it. They can come to terms with it later.

I'm sitting on one of the chairs by the side of the pool. One of those long ones you can put your legs up on. I don't think I'll be swimming, as I'm a little depressed right now. I had really liked Cecilia, but I guess that feeling isn't returned…although, I definitely liked her less when she went after Lex. Lex shouldn't have hit her after the two had been broken up, but Cecilia definitely started the whole thing. Lex did kick Cecilia's ass though, and as Fred hurt Lex and Cee hurt me, I see this as the one bright spot. Lex has forgiven them both though. She'll even be Fred's lab partner again, and soon, she and Fred and Cecilia will be friends, and back to normal…and that'll be fine with her. She'll move on to someone else. She always does. Lex will never let it show that she was hurt, but she was. Just like I'll never admit I liked Cecilia, but I did. I never actually said to anyone that I did, but I really did like Cee for a few days. Oh well. We can still be friends, and I'll get over her. It'll just take a little time. For now, I'm just glad everyone's at peace and nobody's being violent or screaming. I'm sick of the screaming.

"YOU IDIOT!" came Cecilia's shrieking voice. Whoops, spoke too soon. Fred had just knocked her into the water. She is holding her cheek, which was cut from where she and Lex had come to blows before. My guess is it stung in the chlorine water. Fred shuts her up by kissing her, and everything seems alright again.

I see Lex coming out of the hotel. She had gone up to change. 'Pastry cream isn't really my color' she'd said. She now had on a black tank top with the words 'The Rolling Stones' embroidered in red. She was wearing khaki, drawstring shorts from American Eagle, and no bathing suit. It was evident she wouldn't be swimming much either. As she gets closer, I realize she's carrying two drinks. One is electric blue, the other off-white, and each have a cherry and one of those little umbrellas. She walks over and sits down on me.

"Hey! This seat's taken!" I say.

"I know that," she says, wiggling to get next to me and not spill the drinks at the same time. "Shove over a bit! You're too big, taking up all the space."

I move over best I can, and she squeezes into the small space I give her. She hands me the blue drink and I sip it.

"Electric lemonade," I say, smiling at her. "My favorite, how'd you know?"

"Anthony, whenever we go to Applebee's, that's what you get."

"True. And yours is…?"

"A Pina Colada," she says practically. "I figured we could both use a drink."

"You said no alcohol around the Ducks," I remind her.

"I've changed my mind."

"Since when?"

"Since I've had to beat the shit out of Cecilia, get dumped by Fred, and make up with both of them in one morning. I'm good, Anthony, but I'm not that good. It would drive anyone to drinking," she says, eating the cherry out of her drink.

"I guess I'm not the only one who feels like they got kicked in the teeth this afternoon," I say to her, sipping my drink again.

"Hey, be glad you just feel that way. I_ did_ just get kicked in the teeth," she says rubbing her mouth. I glance at her face.

"Look at me," I command, and she turns her head to face me. Lex definitely won the physical fight earlier, but Cecilia did do a number on her. There were bruises coming up on her cheek, and her lower lip was a bit swollen. Her eyes look alright, but there's a mark on her neck, by her throat.

"Lex, will you be able to sing with that?" I say, tracing the mark.

"Of course. It doesn't hurt much, that's the least of my worries," she says, lifting her hair off her neck and showing me the very top of her neck and the bottom of her head. It's hard to see through her hair, but upon touch, I can tell there's definitely a big lump coming up back there.

"Ouch," I say to her, and she sips her drink.

"It's from when Cecilia and I went flying into the table before," she says, good naturedly.

"Yeah, that's why I feel like I was kicked in the teeth," I say, the slightest trace of bitterness in my voice, but not enough to give me away.

"Liked the psycho bitch, did you?" Lex says to me, grinning. Wow, she got it in one shot.

"Hey, I thought you two were friends again?" I say to her, somewhat shocked about what she said. Lex isn't really a bitter person.

"We are, I'll get over it, and right now I'm just annoyed…more with myself than anyone else. I mean, I knew Fred loved Cee. I knew Cee loved Fred. And I fell for Fred anyway. I wasn't trying to come between them. I'm not like that, and you know it. But it's hard not to come between two people when they try so hard to put you there."

"Yeah, true…and you're right. I did like her," I say, somewhat reluctantly. I said I'd never admit it, and I'm not thrilled that I have, but somehow I don't mind admitting it to Lex so much. We're in the same boat here, anyway.

"I feel bad for you, but it's understandable. I mean, hey, Fred _loves_ her…or something like that. It must have started somewhere, right? I doubt it was love at first sight, knowing those two," she says this all in a very matter-of-fact voice. She's not mocking them, she's serious.

"Love at first sight? More like love at first fight…or punch, or first heavy object flying through the air at someone's head," I say, making her snort into her drink. She looks at them, rolling her eyes, although I know she's somewhat sad.

"Are you alright?" I ask her. She grins.

"Of course. Just a little hurt. Are you alright?" she says. Wow, she's admitted she's hurt. I guess I was wrong about both of us.

"Yeah, just a little hurt," I echo back to her.

We put our drinks on the table beside the chair we're sharing. She leans her head back on my chest, the way she did when we were going out a few years back, flinching slightly because of the lump she showed me earlier. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around her shoulders and rest my chin on her head. We used to sit like this for hours, just her and me. This didn't stop after we broke up. She'd always sit with me, but I think it's the first time we've done this since she left for Eden Hall. It's nice, just sitting like this. So often we're caught up in doing things like chasing after people we can't have, or rehearsing, that we forget to just sit back and relax. We have a rehearsal later, now that I'm thinking about it. Dress rehearsal, actually. A run through of all our songs for tomorrow. From 5:00 to who knows how late. It's only 1:00 right now though, so we're ok. I can't believe Fred was storming out because of a haircut just a few hours ago…seems like much longer.

"We deserve better than this," I say to Lex suddenly.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"We don't deserve to have our emotions stepped on, and we don't deserve to have people walking all over us. We deserve to be happy too, you know?"

"I'm happy right now," she says to me.

"What?" I ask. I expected her to agree, not say she's happy right now.

"Well, my dad's not here and not coming. My brother will be here tomorrow. My friends are here now. My best friends and I are competing for the chance of a lifetime. We're in Orlando, and the weather has been gorgeous. In spite of everything that's happened the past few days, and especially the past few hours, I'm not having a bad time. I'm watching my best friends, drinking exotic drinks, and lying on top of one of my other best friends. Why shouldn't I be happy?" she smiles warmly at me.

"Because Fred just smashed your heart into a thousand pieces. You deserve someone who loves you, Lex. You're a pretty special girl. And I deserve someone, and something better than having Cecilia use me to make her boyfriend jealous. I don't want a cock tease. I'm a nice guy, I want somebody to love," I say and her smile fades a bit. She looks slightly annoyed, and I feel a twinge of guilt. She was happy, and now she's not.

"Hearts can be repaired," she says finally. "And we'll find people to love. It'll just take time. Fred and Cecilia are obviously not the right people for us. We're probably better off without them. We'll get what we deserve, just you wait." She's recovering rather quickly from earlier. Glad she is. Wish I could. 

"What if we don't?" I ask her.

"We will. But I'll tell you what," she says to me. "If we don't find people we love and deserve, and love us back, by the time we're 30, we'll marry each other. We're already friends, we'll do alright together. Deal?" she holds out her hand for me to shake.

I have to laugh. "Deal," I say, shaking her hand. "You know, you're not bad, O'Leary. I could learn to love you."

"Same, Nicholson. I could learn to love you, too."

"For now, good friends though, right?"

"Best friends, Anthony, best friends. You and me and Jeff and Matt and Anna and Chris and Sammie. Best friends, always and forever. That's the pact we made, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Hey, are you two coming to swim?" Charlie calls to us.

"Nope, we're going inside to get more drinks!" Lex calls. "Come on," she says, climbing off me, ignoring Charlie's yells of 'no alcohol!', and grabbing my hands to pull me up. "Let's go get some more drinks, and we can play some pool."

"Tired of watching Fred and Cee?" I ask her, jokingly.

"Well, yeah," she says honestly, shrugging.

"Jealous?" I ask, only half joking this time.

"Yeah, a bit. But I wish them all the happiness in the world. They deserve it," she says leading me toward the doors to inside.

She's not a bad chick, Lex O'Leary. One of the best I've ever met, and one of the best I ever will meet, I'm sure. I laugh on the inside. Fred may love Cecilia, and that's all well and good, but he doesn't know who he's passing up.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

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iluvguygermain00: glad you love it so much. wait for an update no longer! chapter 20 is in the works, so you won't have to wait too long.

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percussion: yeah, D3 didn't do much for their friendship, did it? but hey, the Ducks can solve anything. it just takes a while. Banksie would take that bridge thing seriously in a darker, more serious relationship fic with Charlie. aren't you glad this isn't a darker, more serious fic? *grins*

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KShyne99: glad you love it. I spent a ton of time with that paragraph on Guy. it took me a good ten minutes to come up with the right wording, so I really appreciate the fact that you enjoy it. 

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plainjane: Cee cut her hair! thrilling! disastrous consequences though…hehehe…well, me, I wrote that ending, I have trouble breaking up the Ducks. it breaks my heart. Cimmy is the more angsty one of the two of us, she's good at that kind of stuff, although I'm working on it. but I had to make the Ducks not angry at each other, it kills me when they hate each other…besides, how do you hate your friends in _Disney World_? *grins*


	20. You Can Always Go Downtown

**Chapter 20: You Can Always Go Downtown  
****By Cimmy and NYgoldfish54  
****Ken's POV**

The first cloud I've seen all week settles over our heads a few hours into our pool-time. I suppose we could you a bit of rain to wash away the daily disasters. Also, I'm tired of being drowned by Dwayne and Russ all the time.

"We could go to the pool they have inside," Connie suggests, jumping into Guy's arms. They both disappear under water for a second.

"Or we could go grab something to eat," Goldberg continues, hauling himself out of the water. "Food!"

"Food sounds good," Charlie ponders. Not all of us got to finish our breakfast earlier, for different reasons. "We could go into town and look around."

Connie shows up again, snorting water out of her nose. "In the rain?" she asks.

"Cool, let's do that!" Julie exclaims and pushes past me to get out of the water. "I like shopping."

"We know," most of us answer, knowing how many hours she spends in one store. Connie can be bad sometimes too, but not as bad as Julie.

Charlie gazes over to the two missing Ducks, Fred and Cecilia. I haven't heard much from them in a long time, thank God almighty. "I'll go get them too," Charlie sighs. "Well, they _are_ part of the team!" he says when we all moan.

"I think we should vote about that," Portman growls and climbs out of the pool.

"Come on!" Connie protests. "It's all good now! I'll go get them."

Charlie rolls his eyes and pushes her back into the water. "Stop being so annoying, Connie. Otherwise we have to vote about you as well."

"Maybe we should vote for a new captain while we're at it?" Adam muses. Charlie tries to drown him, but falls back into the water himself instead.

I decide to swim over and announce our exit to the reconciled idiots. "Hey, we're leaving now. Are you coming?"

"Sure," Cecilia answers. She's has her arms around Fred's shoulders, and when she tries to break free, he grabs her hand.

"What did you mean by that?"

You know, if they begin to fight _again_, I'm forced to kill myself. Or them. I just can't take their stupid whining anymore.

"Nothing, I'm just saying that..." Cecilia leans in to kiss him. "...I like you."

Fred doesn't seem content with that answer, but smiles anyway. "Fine, I'll buy that for now. Say that thing again."

Cecilia splashes off to the side. "Maybe later," she says quietly. Fred swims up to her and lifts her out of the water, to place her on the edge.

"So, where are we going?" Dwayne wonders from behind me.

Julie bounces up and down on the spot, not unlike Connie. "We're going shopping!" she cheers. "Are we taking the bus?"

"Well, since none of us have a driver's license, I think that's for the best," Charlie snorts. "There will be no visits to the jail this time."

"Yeah, we can always do that next summer!" Guy and Connie wail at the same time. Wow, that was seriously painful.

Charlie rubs his temples and moan loudly. We follow him inside, receiving angry looks from the cleaning lady, for dripping water all over the lobby. I decide to wait up for Adam and Luis, walking next to Matt and Jeff. Fred walks past us and hurries up to Connie and Guy.

"Ken, wait up!"

I turn around to look at the person shouting, and it's Cecilia. I'm kind of surprised, since she usually calls out for Adam when he's around. I think Adam's the closest friend she has on this team, mostly because he's not as easily annoyed with her. I wait for her by the doors, and the other four stop to wait for me.

"Oh no," Matt mutters. "It's her again." He sounds so much in despair that the rest of us laugh. I actually don't have anything against her; she's just very unlucky sometimes.

Anthony and Lex show up to join us at our rooms. Lex instinctively steps back when Cecilia comes up to me. "What's up?" I ask.

"Nothing," she smiles. "I just wanted you to wait for me."

"Ah, how well you disguise your intentions," I say, dragging her along. I hear Charlie yell something about 'leaving us all behind', so I guess we've done something bad again.

Adam runs up to them to see what's going on. A second later Luis and Jeff join him. Charlie is always entertaining when he's about to explode. He gets that furious look, and someday, he might actually blow up. We all want to be there when that happens.

"Umm, I think I'll go see if they have destroyed anything," Lex mumbles and leaves us behind. I think she and Cecilia destroyed enough for all of us earlier. I'm still sure that Fred had to pay a lot of money to cover the damages Cecilia made. I'm just glad neither of them are _my_ girlfriend.

"So, are you going to talk to him?" I ask little mini-Psycho.

"Fred?"

"No, the other one," I say pointedly, smiling at the memory of her crashing into the food cart. "I think you should." I'm helping out, because I need some peace and quiet. We all know about Cee's adventures with Anthony, and I could've bet money on that she was falling for the guy just the other day.

Cecilia shakes her head. "I don't think I want to," she explains. We're a few steps behind, Cecilia limping from the fight. She's definitely the more bruised one, and I feel bad for her. I know I shouldn't, but I'm too nice to point fingers when people are in pain. There's always time for that when she gets better.

"If you could apologize to Lex, I know you can talk to Anthony," I sigh, getting tired of the whole situation.

"I think he's mad at me," she whispers back, sounding sad.

"So make him not angry at you, then," I suggest and pat her on the shoulder. She squeaks with pain, and I give her a regretful look. "Sorry."

Adam comes back to us, smiling. "Charlie feels better now. He's just mad because Connie teased him a little."

"And you didn't have anything to do with it?" I ask. Adam just grins, while shrugging. Cecilia lets go of my arm and sneaks up to the other two. I hope Matt doesn't kill her. I don't think I have time for a trial.

"Anthony? Could I... Can I... Could we speak?" she stutters and he turns to look at her.

"Uh, yeah, sure," he smiles at her, waving off Matt from his left side.

I can't help but eaves drop to their conversation. Adam seems guilty of that too. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened earlier," Cecilia mumbles, and I'm surprised she had the guts to say that. She would rather just kill disagreements with silence.

"That's okay," Anthony replies, trying to show off some fake cover of happiness.

"No, it's not! I just wanted you to know that... I really _did_ have a great time the other day, and I'm sorry things didn't turn out that well. And I'm sorry for punching Lex, I was wrong. Please don't hate me."

Anthony laughs. "Of course I don't hate you. I had a great time too."

"I mean, I do like you, but I'm in love with someone else. And even though I have feelings for you, I think my feelings for Fred are stronger. I'm just not used to be the girl guys run after. I mean, I had to literally chase Fred around for quite some time before he even noticed me. And you just liked me for who I am, I didn't have to do anything to get your attention. I guess I liked that..."

We're a pretty loud mouthed team altogether. Charlie and Adam always say things to each other they don't mean. Portman continuously insults people, sometimes by purpose, sometimes because he's too stupid to know the difference. Dwayne has his moments of insanity, and I can't really say that I always think before I speak either. And Guy? I don't think he ever really knows what he's saying.

Then there are the reasonable ones. Like Connie. She's very bright, she knows what to say, and when to say it. She's annoying, but bright. Julie is also very smart. She knows when to shut up, and she always considers things thoughtfully before saying them. Maybe not all the time, but almost.

And then there's Fred. He's the biggest idiot of us all. He throws insults all over the place, before he panics and takes it all back again. He screams things out of the blue, always trying to hurt people as bad as possible. And then of course, he changes his mind and spends the rest of his day sulking, trying to come up with a plan to make it all better again.

"You didn't spend the day with me because you had to, and you didn't find me unbearable or annoying. Fred doesn't even put up with me sometimes, but you did. And I really liked you a lot. So, I'm sorry for having feelings for you, and forcing you to spend time with me, which you could've spent with someone else. I sort of wasted your day, didn't I?"

Anthony doesn't answer, he just looks at her. That probably made her nervous, because she takes one step back to leave. Then she turns around again, leans up to him and kisses him on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Okay," Anthony says, looking very confused and sheepish. She limps away, and Matt puts his hand on Anthony's shoulder to get him to come down to earth again.

I wish I knew what just happened. Cecilia probably spoke her heart right now, and she never does that. I can see why. Because the silver lining in all of this is: Cecilia admitted she has feelings for Anthony, even enough for him to be able to fight for her heart.

Now I finally know who the most confused one of all of us is.

"So, does this mean they're friends again?" Adam asks me. Oh, look, we have a new winner...sheesh.

**---**

**Dwayne's POV**

Downtown Orlando is a lot like downtown Dallas, but not. Nobody's wearing a Cowboy hat but me…not that I mind. I'm usually the only one. The similarities are that there are lots of people and lots of little shops and stuff to walk through.

Connie, Julie, and Anna disappeared into a clothing shop and we haven't seen them since. Guy, Fred, Adam, Russ, Lex, Jeff, Goldberg, and Charlie are all still checking out hockey equipment and pro-jerseys at a sports equipment store. I was in there earlier, but I left. While I was in there though, I noticed the hockey sticks are right next to the jerseys. Charlie was looking at the hockey sticks and Lex was sifting through old New York Islander jerseys. Charlie seemed to be checking out Lex more than the hockey sticks, though. Fred went to talk to Lex, and Charlie looked incredibly jealous. Lex didn't seem all that thrilled when Fred was talking to her. She kept glancing around and I can only guess she was looking for Cecilia. All that changed, though, when Fred discovered a Bobby Nystrom #23 jersey and handed it to her. Her eyes lit up in excitement, she threw her arms around his neck, said 'Thank you, thank you, thank you, Fred!' in a nothing-could-be-better-than-this-jersey voice, and raced off yelling 'Jeff! Jeff! Look what I have!'

Cecilia, Portman, Fulton, and Sammie are in a shop across the street that sells merchandise advertising heavy metal bands. Portman is warming up to Sammie, he didn't seem to like her at first. He's also going out of his way to be nice to Cecilia. I think he felt sorry for her earlier. I felt sorry for her too, and for Lex, but not for the same reasons.

That reminds me, I wonder if Fulton and Portman were kidding earlier, about how they were gay, that is. It was in such a weird moment, maybe they were kidding? I don't know. I guess that'll be something we'll consult them about later. Honestly, I don't really mind. They're consenting, right? They're happy? That's all that matters. I'm not especially in love with the idea of being gay. I enjoy the company of ladies, and I'll never understand why they don't, but hey, who am I to judge? Besides, even if you don't like gay people, how could you not like Portman and Fulton? The Bash Brothers! They're so cool. How could you not love them? They're part of our team, our friends. You can't help but love them anyway.

Averman, Ken, Luis, Matt, Chris, Luis, Anthony, and I are in a shop right now that sells musical instruments. Matt, Chris, and Anthony insisted they needed to check some stuff out and dragged the four of us hockey players into the shop. I join Chris, who's looking at bass guitars.

"You play bass?" I ask him.

"Yeah. Sometimes. Jeff and I split the time…wow, this is a really nice guitar," he says. Then, looking at a price, he says "Oh shit. I don't have that kind of money!"

"Huh? How much?"

"I don't have four hundred dollars for this!" he exclaims.

"Wow. The finest Texas banjos don't cost that much!"

"Really," Chris says, looking very disbelieving. I chuckle to myself. I love doing that to people. I bring up Texas, and for some reason, everyone looks a little nutty.

"Wait," he says. "Do you play?"

"Yeah, acoustic guitar," I explain. It's true. I do play. Not as much as I'd like, but I do play.

"You know how to play banjo?" he asks.

"Yeah," I answer quietly. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this. Banjo is considered such a hillbilly instrument. Contrary to popular belief, not all southern people are hicks. I mean, yeah, sure there are some, but not all of us.

But to my surprise, Chris looks excited rather than disgusted. "Really? That's awesome! None of us know how to play banjo, and it's really hard to improvise when we do some songs! Do you think you could teach me if we ever have time?"

"Sure, I'd love to," I say, taken aback by this enthusiasm over banjos.

"Your name is Dwayne Robinson, right?"

"Robertson," I correct him.

"Robertson, Robertson," he says quietly, as if memorizing it. "If you're ever in New York, look us up," Chris says, "maybe you can join us on stage some time!"

"I'd love to," I say again, grinning, glad someone appreciates my banjo skills.

Chris turns his attention back to the bass guitar he'd been looking at earlier. "Hmmm…" he mumbles, "I don't have that money…"

"It's a nice guitar," I say and he gives me this look like 'yeah I know.' Good Lord, am I good at consoling people or what?

"Where's Lex?" he says finally.

"At that sports shop. Last I saw her she was running to show Jeff a jersey Fred pulled off the rack for her," I explain. At the mention of Fred's name, Chris's face contorts a bit. I guess Fred is a sensitive subject, but I feel the need to defend him. I don't know why. As far as I'm concerned, Fred shouldn't have led Lex on, and should have been straight with Cecilia the whole time. "Hey, Fred's not such a bad guy. He's a bit of a jerk, yeah, but he's not really all that bad."

"Yeah, I guess. It's just…he should have been straight with Lex and that Cecilia girl. It was kind of mean of him, stringing the pair of them along like that."

"He's just confused. He's a bit slow, but he does eventually work things out. Just give him a chance," I say. Fred's not really too bad of a guy. An idiot sometimes, sure, but hey, who isn't?

"You seem like a good guy, Dwayne, and Lex and Jeff obviously like him, so I guess he deserves another chance," Chris says, finally, after thinking for a few moments. "That reminds me, Lex will buy this. She buys most of our stuff anyway, and I really need a new guitar."

Just then, Sammie comes flying into the shop like a man on fire. About three nanoseconds later, Portman comes running after her covered in white stuff. It looks a bit like shaving cream.

"Matt! Matt! Help me!" she screams, leaping into Matt's arms where he's standing by a bunch of different drum sets.

"You little…!" Portman runs over to Matt and begins tickling Sammie, who falls out of Matt's arms and is shrieking with laughter. Matt looks very confused.

"I thought Sammie was in love with Fulton," Chris says to me, turning his back on the scene, "but since it seems he walks the other side of the line, that's obviously not right. I'm glad Sammie's getting on with Fulton and Portman though. She said that she and Fulton have a lot of the same interests and it'll be nice now that she's found someone to recite 'I Love Lucy' episodes with."

"Sammie doesn't have a boyfriend?" I ask, gazing at her.

"Nope…she and Matt went out for a while though," he says.

"Are they friends or more than that?"

"Friends. Their relationship works better when they can go to a movie with a group of friends and be expected to throw popcorn at the screen rather than make out through the movie."

"Anybody else?"

"She dated this jerk at school for a while, but that's over too, and will never restart again, trust me."

"Why? Bitter ending?" I ask.

"Bitter? It was downright nasty. It ended at a school dance, when he was close to raping her in the boys' locker room. Someone caught sight of it, and told us about it. Matt, Jeff, Anthony, and I walked through the doors just in time, and proceeded to kick the shit out of the guy. Sammie cried a lot, and was unhappy for a very long time. She'd skip rehearsals, and cry, and lock herself in her room for hours at a time. Lex finally paid for a visit to the psychologist. That seemed to do the trick, but it still took her a good two months to come out of it."

"Oh jeez, that's terrible, I'm so sorry…so she's available?" Oops. That sounds kind of insensitive. 'She was nearly raped…so is she single?' Oh well. I'm not as dumb as I play, but I'm not brilliant either. I have that problem most people have. You know, that problem where I don't think before I speak sometimes?

"Yeah…wait, do you want to ask her out?" he looks more suspicious about me asking her out more than my insensitivity. I'm relieved for that. I didn't mean to be insensitive, it's just, well, how do you respond to a story like that? Certainly not the way I did. I should have been more tactful, more caring, more like a gentleman…more southern.

"Well, she's very pretty, she seems nice, and I have talked to her a few times," I explain. It's true. Sammie's got blond hair and brown eyes and she is very pretty, and she _was_ sweet when I talked to her.

"Fine, ask her. But if you hurt her, I'll be forced to kill you," Chris says.

"What? I haven't even decided if I want to ask her yet!"

"Oh. Sorry, but I may as well warn you now. Don't hurt her, Dwayne. You seem like a nice guy, I don't really want to kick the shit out of you."

"Why would you?"

"It's policy with us."

"Policy?" What the hell is this guy talking about? Who has a kick-the-shit-of-somebody policy?

"Yeah. You hurt one of our girls, and we have to kill you. It's just the way it works. In a way, it's sort of a miracle Fred is still alive and well. Believe me, if Matt had his way, Fred would be in a hospital bed right now," he says, grinning apologetically. Oh, ok, I get it now. It's sort of the way we are about Cecilia and Connie and Julie. Although I think that if it was just some male Ducks plus Lex or Anna or Sammie and some random guy tried to hurt one of them, we'd protect them…and if it was female Ducks and the male band members, I'm sure the guys would do the same if somebody tried to hurt Connie or Julie or even Cecilia.

Everyone else has left the shop, and Chris and I head for the door. Chris catches Lex walking by with Adam. He whispers something to her, and she nods. They disappear and Adam and I wait outside for them to come back. When they walk out again, Chris is carry a new guitar case.

"It's amazing you carry that much cash," I say to Lex.

"Cash? You crazy? I use my father's credit card. It's a wonderful thing," she says, grinning up at me.

"How'd you get your hands on that?" Adam asks.

"He just left it, lying around in plain sight…in his wallet…in his sock draw," she answers at him, grinning again.

"Won't he know it's gone?"

"Probably not."

"How could he not?"

"Well he's got a zillion credit cards. Plus, we've got millions of dollars, a couple hundred won't hurt. Besides, my mom does the tax and finances and stuff. My dad is pretty clueless. My mom is cool with it as long as I don't spend too, too much."

Sammie comes running up to us. "Hide me!" she squeaks.

"Why?" Adam asks looking confused.

"Portman's after me. I accidentally dropped his bandana in the sewer."

Portman runs by me and I step in front of Sammie, granting her request.

"Where's the blond pipsqueak! I'm going to kill her!"

"She went that way," Chris says, pointing in the other direction. Lex's head is buried in Adam's chest and she's shaking. She's obviously trying not to laugh.

Portman runs off, and Sammie steps out from behind me.

"Thanks!" she says, kissing my cheek, before running in the opposite direction of Portman.

I watch her leave, and Chris says "Go for it." Lex looks between me and Sammie, eyes narrowed, and then gets the idea. She looks at Chris for confirmation, and he nods. She grins at me, but doesn't say anything. Banksie seems to have caught on too. He grins at me and gives me a thumbs up sign.

"Hey Ducks!" comes Charlie's voice. "Lunch!"


	21. Between Town and Tomorrow

hey folks. how's it going? here's chapter 21. right here I am giving **A BIG SHOUT OUT **to the reviewers, because I feel bad for being so lazy and not listing them all at the bottom like I should. so to all the reviewers: **A BIG SHOUT OUT! THANK YOU!**

this chapter ended up _really, really _long, so please visit the bathroom before you start reading. review when you're done. 

Cheers,  
Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: The Ducks, as well as Disney World and everything in it, belong to the World Disney Company. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Matt, Anthony, Sammie, Anna, and Chris belong to NYgoldfish54. 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
**Chapter 21: Between Town and Tomorrow  
By NYgoldfish54 and Cimmy**

**Matt's POV**

Between the bad service at the restaurant where we had 'lunch', (which we were eating at 3:00) and a freak traffic accident, and Sammie forgetting her guitar, and Jeff losing the keys, we were only an hour and a half late for our own dress rehearsal. That's right, we were supposed to be here at 5:00, and it is 6:30 now.

Nobody's here, which is sort of a relief. It means nobody knows it was us that wrecked the drum set a few days ago. We're the second to last band performing this week. The other concerts have been going on all week; we've just been too busy to watch them. The Ducks aren't here either. They had wanted to come, but Lex had said 'Absolutely not…don't even think about bugging me, Portman,' and that was the end of it. They were the ones that broke the drum set last time anyway.

Sammie plugs in her guitar and says, "Hey, our show is tomorrow night!"

"Glad you realized, Sammie. We've only been telling you for…what? Two months now?" Chris says, helping Anthony lift a keyboard on to its stand. 

"So I'm a little slow. Sue me," she says, now joining me by my drum set and helping me set up the symbols.

"Maybe you have a learning disability?" Jeff suggests, fiddling with the strap on his bass.

"I doubt it," I cut it, "she's pretty good at learning things like when Boy Meets World comes on and the most annoying commercial jingles on TV."

"Oh give her a break, Matt, you're not perfect either," says Anna from where she was setting up a microphone.

"Me? Not perfect?" I joke.

"Not even close to perfect," says Anthony, still doing something near his keyboards.

"Let's just do this, guys, ok?" snaps Lex.

"Don't PMS all over us, Lex," Jeff says. Then, seeing the look on her face, "Anything the matter?" he asks.

"Nerves, sorry, didn't mean to bite," she says, somewhat distractedly. Jeff seems satisfied with that answer, but I'm not. I don't see how he is. He's supposed to be her best friend.

"Nerves my ass, Lex," I say, without stopping to think. "You don't get nervous. You're still upset about that Fred guy. Don't be Lex, he's a stupid loser, and you're too good for him. You were stupid for getting in between those two psychos, and stupid for falling for such a loser."

"That's nice Matt. Why don't you just smack me next time?" she says, anger in her voice.

"I'm sorry, but it's true," boy, I really don't know when to shut up. I'm not even sure I meant what I said. I just want her to feel better, but those obviously weren't the right words.

"He's not stupid, and he's not a loser, and I'm not too good for anyone. I'm not even upset about him, Matt McDougal, I'm just nervous, so you can just bite me!" she yells and storms away toward the girls' dressing room. Anna glares at me, and goes after her. The others just look at me. Sammie shakes her head, Chris rolls his eyes, and Anthony looks annoyed…but Jeff looks absolutely furious.

"Matt, you idiot," Jeff says to me. "What did you have to go and say that for? She's still upset about him but she obviously doesn't want to admit it, or talk about! Why can't you just leave well enough alone? Why can't you just leave her alone?"

Jeff's tone is soft and calm, but his words are angry. It would have been better if he'd yelled. "I just wanted her to feel better, like it wasn't her fault," I say honestly.

"She knows it's not her fault," Anthony says quietly. "We talked earlier, she's just a bit hurt, and that's all."

"Oh," I say. I should have known she was talking to Anthony. I saw her doing it before, but it just didn't register until now.

"And now you've gotten her upset again. Fantastic. Why couldn't you just do as I did, and take her word for what she says? I know she's not nervous, but you don't see me bothering her about it, do you? She's put in a lot of effort in this trip for those kids back at the hotel. She's paid a lot of money and pulled a lot of strings, and nobody's giving anything back to her except arguments and fights and physical attacks. Now you're trying to make her feel better by calling her stupid for being interested in a loser, someone she obviously liked? Way to go, Matt, way to go," Jeff spits at me.

I don't know what to say, so I don't say anything. But I know he's right. And it was sometime during that speech that I realized why Jeff is Lex's best friend. He knows her, and reads her, and is good at dealing with her. It's something I work for but will never achieve the way Jeff has. I love Lex just as much as Jeff does; I'm just not as good at taking care of her. I do the best I can, which is pretty good; I'm just not as good as Jeff. That's why Lex and Jeff are best friends. They reach each other in ways nobody else can. 

He's also right about how hard Lex has worked on this trip, and how she's really not getting anything in return from those damn Ducks. I mean, I know they're all good people and crap, but I wish they would show it better. Especially Fred and Cecilia. What the hell was Cecilia thinking, attacking Lex like that? And I know it was Cecilia who attacked first. Fulton told me later, but I didn't need to be told. Lex wouldn't go after Cecilia first. She's just not like that. Fred shouldn't have led Lex on and should have been good to Cecilia. It's so cruel of him to have set them both up like that. Then he chose Cecilia, in front of absolutely fucking everyone, and is now acting as though Lex should go on her merry way.

And now I've made things worse by running my mouth. I have a very strong desire to hit something. Chris and I would have hit Fred earlier, but Anna and Sammie told us not to. Otherwise, we probably would have pounded him into a bloody pulp. You can't make one of our girls cry and get away with it.

Lex comes back with Anna a few minutes later. She looks calm and controlled again. "I'm sorry, Matt," she says smiling at me.

"Me too," I say. "Shouldn't have run my mouth like that, Lex, I'm sorry." 

"Forget it," she says, and we're both grinning at each other.

"Let's do this thing," Anna says finally, breaking the silence.

And so we go begin at 7:05. By the time we run through all our songs, it's about 10:45, and we're all a bit tired. 

At the end of our last song, we all sit in a circle and drink some coke that Sammie brought.

I'm feeling the need to apologize to Lex again. I feel bad for making her feel bad. 

"Lex, I'm really sorry about before," I start, but she cuts me off.

"Forget it, Matt, it's not really important. You're right about me falling for Fred. That was stupid of me. But you're wrong about Fred and Cecilia. They're not stupid, they're not losers, I'm not too good for them, and they're not psychos…well, maybe a little, Cecilia, yeah…" she trails off and gives me a guilty smirk, and we all chuckle a little. 

There's a moment of silence, then-

"So Fulton and Portman are gay," Sammie announces to us.

"They're with each other?" Anna asks. Sammie nods.

"So they weren't kidding about that. Interesting," Chris says, pouring himself more coke. "I couldn't tell if they were or not. It was a tense situation, a weird moment. I thought they might have been doing it for comic relief."

"Chris has a point. How do you know?" Anna asks Sammie.

"Fulton told me. By accident, but he still told me."

"I don't know why we didn't guess," Jeff looks at Lex. "We knew them for a year."

"I guess it's cause they don't _look gay," she says. "All those gay guys you see on TV and in the movies walk around in tight pants and pink shirts and have lisps and use stupid hand gestures and skip all the time. Some wear makeup and women's clothing. I can't see Portman and Fulton like that at all. They seem perfectly straight, except, apparently they're attracted to men."_

"Personally, I think it's cool. As long as they're happy and consent, I mean, what can you do? Portman's a bit of a jerk, but Fulton's cool. What do you think about it?" Anthony asks, looking at me.

"Oh come on, I'm cool with gay people. It's not exactly an uncommon lifestyle in New York City."

"What about that time you beat up that gay kid at school?" Sammie asks me.

"That wasn't because he was _gay_," I defend myself, "that was because he tried to take my wallet!"

"Oh yeah, riiiight," Sammie smirks and looks doubtful.

"I've said that a hundred times. There were witnesses who swore it to the principal. It's why I wasn't suspended," I try to explain to her. 

"Ok, Matt, whatever you say," she says to me.

 "Hey! Principal Snyder believed me! You're my friend, you're supposed to believe me! Ya know, maybe Jeff's right. Maybe you _do have a learning disability," I say to her, frustrated._

She cracks up, "Would you relax, Matt? I know it was cause he tried to take your wallet. I just said it to make you mad!"

"Seems to have worked," Anna says, looking me up and down.

"Hilarious, Sammie, thanks," I tell her. "What about you Jeff? What's going on with you and that Julie chick?" 

"What do you mean, 'what's going on'? We're friends."

"Jeff, you and Lex are friends. You don't kiss Lex the way you were kissing Julie at the beach!" Anna says.

"You kissed Julie different than me?" Lex pretends to look hurt. "Well you can just go to hell, Jeff Delricci! _Die!" and she tackles him on to the floor. Good thing his coke glass was empty. We're all laughing, including Lex and Jeff, who are lying on the floor._

"Have you been taking lessons from Cecilia or something?" he says grinning at her. She smiles back.

"Yes. It's a course called 'This Is How You DON'T Deal With Your Problems.' Cee came up with it herself. Very effective," Lex says, winking, as they get up off the floor and back on to chairs.

"Anyway," Chris says, rolling his eyes, "Jeff, if you're not dating Julie, why are you making out with her?"

"I dunno. We're just not dating. At least not at this exact second in time. But I do like her," Jeff says, looking rather annoyed that Chris brought the subject up again.

"You like her? No kidding, Jeff? I thought you only hooked up with girls you found unattractive," says Sammie, rolling her eyes.

"Eat a deathly poisonous plant, would you, Blackburn?" Jeff says, glaring angrily at Sammie. He can glare all he wants. He doesn't mean a word.

"Or here's a better one," Lex says, "why don't you date Dwayne, Sammie?"

"Dwayne? Why?" Sammie looks completely bewildered. It's sort of how I'm feeling. Why would she date Dwayne? I'm seriously _not_ still interested in her, but why Dwayne? Isn't that the bloke walking around in the cowboy hat?

"Cause he likes you," Chris says. 

"He told you that?" Sammie asks skeptically.

"Well, yes," Chris says. "I told him about your past relationships with Matt and that other guy because he asked if you were single."

"And you told him everything? Even about the one with…?" We all know who she's talking about. She doesn't need to finish her sentence and we don't need her to start crying.

"Yes," Chris says.

"Thanks, why don't you tell him my weight, address, social security number, and blood type, too?" Sammie says, feigning sweetness.

"Sorry Sammie, I guess I shouldn't have said anything," Chris looks a little guilty. "So how about it? Would you go out with Dwayne on a date?" 

"I dunno. He was a gentleman…not especially good looking, but a gentleman, and a nice guy…yeah, I guess I would if he asked. It couldn't hurt to try anyway," Sammie says, after thinking for a moment.

The silence that follows is then interrupted by Anthony singing, "Anna and Averman, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

"KNOCK IT OFF ANTHONY!" Anna yells.

"Ok," Anthony says, shrinking away from her.

"Averman, huh?" Lex says. "He's funny."

"Yeah, and he's sweet. And good looking," Anna adds, dreamily.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far, Eukovich, but if you like him, ok," says Lex, looking quite repulsed by the fact Anna had put 'Averman' and 'good looking' in the same sentence.

"Catch a deadly disease, O'Leary," Anna says, with the same phony sweet voice Sammie had a few minutes ago. 

"Who on the team do you think is pretty, Chris?" I ask, changing the subject.

"I dunno. None of these girls are really for me. But if I had to pick one, Connie, I guess."

"The continuously bouncing bubble, Mitchell? I didn't know you had a thing for airheads," Anthony grins.

"Quiet, Nicholson, at least I wasn't into that nut Cecilia," Chris shoots back. That seems to be a sensitive subject, and Chris shuts up. It just occurred to me that we all call each other by our last names from time to time. I don't know why, we just do it. Usually when we're faking being mad, disgusted, or threatening.

"Connie's not usually this bouncy. I think it's only cause we're here. Incase nobody noticed, she practically peed with joy when we got to the Magic Kingdom," says Lex, steering the topic from Fred and Cecilia.

"What about you Matt? Who do you think is pretty?" Jeff asks.

"Honestly? I guess Connie too. I wouldn't date her, but she's pretty," I answer honestly.

"Outside Fred, who do you think is good looking?" Sammie asks Lex.

"Hmm…tough one," says Jeff, rolling his eyes.

"Well obviously Charlie. Other than that? Probably Adam or Portman. But Portman's gay, so he's out," Lex says, glaring at Jeff. 

"That reminds me," Jeff says, looking pointedly at Lex, "Adam and I mentioned to Charlie your crush on him."

"When you say 'mentioned' do you mean mentioned like it came up and then it was gone? Or do you mean 'mentioned' like you had a whole conversation on it?"

"Umm…well, it wasn't a conversation, exactly-"

"Delricci, you suck. Banks is going to have to die. You do realize that, right?"

"Yeah, that's why he had me tell the tale. He knew you wouldn't kill me."

"I'm so predictable like that. Damn. Oh well. What did Charlie say?"

"He said 'oh' and asked how he missed it, since it was six months long. Adam explained to him that he was a raging nut job from September through April, and that's how he missed it."

"Oh."

"Then he looked mad at himself," Jeff finishes, and Lex laughs.

"Guess what _we_ did today!" Sammie says suddenly and excitedly, pointing wildly at herself and Anna.

"What?" the rest of us ask.

"We hit Luis with brooms!" Anna grins. Everyone bursts out laughing.

"Fabulous girls. Fred _and Luis? You sure know how to reel those guys in," I joke._

"What do you think of the Ducks as a whole group?" Lex asks once the laughter dies away.

"Well," Sammie starts, "They're good. I just wish they weren't so obnoxious all the time."

"Same," says Chris shrugging.

"I like them, I think they're cool. They're just…so difficult to handle," Anna says.

"They compliment each other. Some make up for what the others lack. For the most part, they seem like good people and could be good friends."

Everyone looks at me. "So it's my turn?" I say, smiling.

"Yes, it's your turn," says Jeff.

"They're alright. They seem like decent people when it comes down to it, but they've all got their flaws. Like us, really, when you think about it. But overall, they're not bad. You two chose your friends well," I say to Lex and Jeff.

There's a silence again. Chris glances at his watch.

"Hey guys, it's 11:30, we'd better get going," he says to us. Wow, that late already? Jeez.

When we get back to the hotel, we head inside. I see Lex glance sadly in the direction of the fight she had earlier…where Fred hurt her, and probably embarrassed her. 

That urge to hit something is back. Oh well, I'll ignore it and go to sleep. Or maybe, just maybe, I'll go find Fred.

***

**Julie's POV**

We got back to the hotel some time around 5.30; Charlie suggested that we should all meet up in the restaurant for some food. Since Connie had decided to stay in town with Guy, I had to walk to my room all by myself. Connie is probably going to have a romantic and cozy time with her boyfriend, and I have to go down to the boring restaurant and listen to Charlie whine about how we're not behaving properly.

Jeff left to go and rehearse with his band. Yeah, the other band members went too, but I mostly care about Jeff. No, I_ only_ care about Jeff. I like him. The others are teasing me endlessly about how in love we are, but only Connie was nice enough to ask me how I really felt about him. And I like him a lot.

Since I managed to buy quite a lot in the clothing shop, I have to put my bags away before there's going to be any food. Luckily, I had to take Connie's bags as well, making it even more impossible for me to show up in time. Not only does she have a lovely boyfriend to spend her free time with, she also possesses her very own personal carrier.

"Jules? Are you on your way? Charlie's looking for you," Adam announces through the door. "Is Fred with you?"

"Why?" Why would he be in my room? Hasn't he done enough damage in all the other rooms already? "I'm coming!" I shout back. Adam laughs from the other side of the door.

I look in the mirror. I really don't feel like going to the restaurant and eat. I wonder when Jeff comes back. Maybe we could go someplace together and eat. Maybe I could call him? He gave my his cell phone number when we were at the beach, so maybe I could call him and ask when the rehearsal is over.

Someone's knocking on my door, and since I'm still changing clothes, I refuse to open the door. "Who is it?" I demand to know. Since Connie is off bouncing around with Guy (not that sort of bouncing), the other girls are at rehearsal, and Cecilia seldom comes to see me, it just has to be one of the guys, right?

"Could you just open the door?" Fulton's voice is easy to recognize, and he sounds sort of bummed out. Plus he's gay now, so I guess I could let him in.

I quickly get dressed and go over to unlock the door. "I'm on my way down," I say. "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you," he explains and pushes me back into the room, closing the door behind him. I thought we've had enough drama for one vacation, but maybe I'm wrong.

"Charlie is calling for me, and I have to go so he won't send out Adam to get me again," I mutter. Why does he always have to send people to do his dirty work? Just because he's the captain, he thinks that everyone should obey him. All the time.

"I'll talk fast," Fulton smiles briefly and sits down on my bed. My God, this is going to take lots of time, isn't it? "I just needed to ask you something. How do you feel about Jeff?"

"Why? Don't tell me you feel something for him too!" I moan. "I have had enough of triangle dramas for one week. Just take him, he's yours. I'm not going to fight with you over him."

"No, that's not why I'm asking!" Fulton protests with a huge grin on his face. "That'd be kinda cool, though... No, I was just wondering if you like him."

"I guess," I say causally, while giving my attention to one of Connie's socks. I don't want him to see that I'm blushing. "Why?"

"He seems like a nice guy," Fulton establishes, driving me insane with his hints. What's his point?! "Look, if this feels awkward..."

"What is awkward?" I interrupt. "I don't have a problem with this."

"I mean, with the whole... me and Portman-thing," he explains. "Are you okay with this?"

"Yeah, why shouldn't I be?" I ask, throwing the disgusting sock back into Connie's bag. "You two are my friends. Nothing can come between us, especially not weird love interests."

"Jeff's not that weird," Fulton points out. I sit down next to him and put my hand on his knee.

"I meant Portman," I tease, and he throws a pillow into my head. "Okay, I surrender!" You don't pick fights with someone twice your size, even if the weapon is an innocent pillow.

"Good," he grins and tousles my hair around. "Now I forgot what I came here for. It surely wasn't for the insults about my boyfriend."

I admit that it's weird to hear him talk about Portman this way, but I'm also relieved that they told us the truth. The funny stares make so much more sense now. I never would've expected it, but I don't have a problem with it. It's only love, and love can never be a bad thing, right?

Fulton is just about to beat me with the pillow some more, when one of my shopping bags begin to buzz. What sort of shirt did I buy this time?

"Your clothes are vibrating," Fulton laughs. "On their own. You've trained them well."

I quickly slap his arm, before I go over to turn one of the bags upside down. At first I think it's my own cell that's buzzing, so I panic, thinking it's Jeff who's calling, but it's not. My next thought is that I took the wrong bag at the store, and now I have someone else's phone to look after.

Fulton picks up the small little technical fellow from the floor. "Cool, is this yours? It looks expensive," he says, making a whistling sound. "It's your Dad."

"No, it's not," I reply.

"Yes, it is," Fulton tries to convince me. "It says so on the display. Look!"

"Yeah, okay, it says the word 'Dad' on the display, but it's still not MY Dad who is calling!" I exclaim. "Gimme that!"

He's right, though. It's a very expensive gadget I have in my hand. I thought my cell-phone was supposed to be all luxurious and cool, but this one even beats the one I have! And it cost me a lot of money! Fine, I got it from my parents, but it was still expensive!

"Well, answer!" Fulton tells me. "It's beginning to get annoying. Or, wait until they hang up, and then call someone in Kenya or something!"

The phone stops buzzing and beeping, but not for long. Suddenly it begins with the same procedure again, so I decide to answer, even though it's not my phone. Maybe it's a trick, and I've won some competition or something? Yeah, that must be it! I giggle at my own insanity. "Hello?"

"Who's this?"

The voice sounds awfully familiar. "It's me, Julie," I say.

"Oh. Why do you have my phone? Could you bring it down with you?"

"Uh, yeah, but..."

"Never mind, I'll come by and get it," the voice moans, and I realize who it is I'm talking to.

"Fred?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do I have your cell phone?" I ask, rolling my eyes at Fulton. He just laughs back. I now understand how someone could've afforded buying a cell phone of this caliber. Fred is a rich and spoiled upper class brat, whose parents run one of the largest world wide companies. That makes for lots of fun gadgets to possess.

"How the hell should I know? Did anyone call?"

This time I moan. "I'm not your answering machine," I mutter. "But yeah, I think your Dad called."

Silence reigns for several seconds. Then he just hangs up on me. How rude! "He hung up!" I howl at Fulton.

"What did he say?"

"That he's coming up," I sigh. "He didn't used to be this annoying, did he? I remember when he was just this shy defenseman that never caused anyone any trouble. What happened?"

"Hormones," Fulton explains and goes over to the door. "He'll get over it by the time he reaches college. Or by the time college ends. Then you can have you adorable buddy back."

I grimace. Sure, Fred's nice and sweet, but he's definitely not the adorable type. Puppies are adorable. Fred is annoying. "It's time to leave, Fulton."

"I knew you were going to say that," he snickers and ducks when I throw another pillow at him. "I think I'll get going now."

He opens the door to escape, but instead of him leaving, Fred comes tumbling in. He almost falls over Fulton, and Fulton moves, which causes Fred hit the floor pretty hard. Why does everything have to happen in _my room? Leave, so I can call Jeff!_

"My cell phone, please," Fred stretches his hand out towards me from the floor. I hand it over and he starts to push the buttons. "My Dad called?"

Fulton gives him a suspicious look. "Fred?" he asks. "Could you say 'bad bumble-bees bicker' really fast three times?"

"No," Fred responds quietly. "But I can say 'sex laxar i en laxask'."

"What does sex has to do with this?" I shake my head. "You can't stay here, go to your room." I grab his arm to help him get to his feet, and he's slowly able to crawl back up. I exchange a look with Fulton. Fred's obviously been drinking again.

"We're going down to eat," Fulton says. "I think you should go to your room and sleep. And stay away from the mini-bar!"

"Hey, I'm not the only one who's been drinking!" Fred snorts, like that's supposed to save him out of trouble. "Portman was the one who allured me. I'm weak when it comes to group-pressure." After this announcement, which clearly takes up his last strength, he passes out on the floor. Yippie.

Fulton just moans loudly and leaves, probably to go see where Portman is. I'm stuck with Fred. Although not for very long, when I'm finally able to dump him off in his room, I leave to go and get some food. I realize that the time just fly by during my conversation with Fulton. When I get to the restaurant, no one but Charlie is there.

"Hey," I greet. "What happened to dinner?"

He laughs. "That was two hours ago. Where did you disappear?"

I look at my watch. Damn, he's right. It's close to 9:00 pm, and dinner was at 6:30. "Where's Jeff?" I automatically say, even though I know he's not back yet.

"You know, I really don't keep track on anyone else but you guys. And barely even that," Charlie mutters. I sit down next to him. Now when Connie has decided to camp in nutty-land over the week, I guess I could jump in has her understudy as the team-therapist. I notice that Charlie has broken his own 'no alcohol' rule, and I'm almost happy about that. It makes Fred's mistake seem less serious.

"What's wrong, Charlie?"

"We're being ungrateful," he mumbles and takes a sip of his drink. I decide to join him, so I get my own glass. "We should know better then this, shouldn't we?"

"You mean with the fights and screaming?" I assume. "That's not your fault, Charlie. You know how things can go wrong sometimes."

"I should've known better," Charlie continues. "And I really should've stopped the fight between Lex and Cecilia before it even started. I'm going to force her to apologize tomorrow. That's the least I should do."

"Who? Lex?"

"No, Cecilia, of course! And while I'm at it, I'm going to force Guy to stop throwing angry glimpses at Fred."

"Fred's drunk," I announce.

"Ha!" Charlie snorts. "Who's not drunk?"

This is obviously not the time to bring up my Jeff-question again. I decide to try and lighten up Charlie's mood instead. I can hang out with Jeff tomorrow, all day long! Sort of.

It's a bit after midnight when I finally arrive back to my room. It's quiet in the hallway, no one's fighting. I take a deep breath of relief and open my door. Connie's back, and she's sleeping with her clothes on by the foot of the bed. I check my cell-phone. No calls. Damn Jeff, where are you?

I crawl into bed and think about what Charlie's been saying. We really should show our appreciation more. I mean, so far it's been a great week, at least for me.

I pick up the pillow from the floor, where Fulton threw it the last time, and then I slowly fall asleep.

*** 

**Jeff's POV**

There's a silent knock on the door, and at first I fear that it is Lex, checking if we're asleep, which we are not. I suppose it's the excitement of tomorrow that's keeping us up late at night. Chris and Anthony are also in our room, and hopefully it's not one of the girls outside the door.

I'm too tired to move, so I gesture for Matt to open. He refuses, and so does Chris. We all look at Anthony, and he shakes his head. "Open yourself!"

"You're a guest, you can't just come in here and expect it to be free," I mumble, really too tired to speak any louder. "It could be for you."

"I don't live here. It could be your parents."

"Just open," Chris sighs and throws some popcorn at Anthony. Instead of throwing back, Anthony gets up and walks over to the door.

Now I'm beginning to get nervous. What if it really is anyone of our parents, or any of the girls? I need to come up with a good explanation, and I need to come up with one now. Anthony unlocks the door and then he doesn't do anything at all for a few seconds.

I gaze over to the door to see who it is, and it really IS one of the girls. Just not anyone to worry about…I hope. It's Cecilia.

"Oh, you are here?" she mumbles, looking at Anthony.

"Yeah, sort of," Anthony answers.

"I was just looking for Jeff. Is he here?"

What did I do? I see that Matt instantly puts on his most stern face, and I decide to go and talk to my visitor before she's being verbally attacked by Lex's fan club.

"Yes, he is," Anthony says, holding the door up for her. "Jeff, it's for you."

I roll my eyes, trying to not point out how obvious that is. "What's wrong?" I ask instead, directing my question to the tiny girl at the threshold. I've never realized how small she really is, until right now. No wonder Lex almost killed her off earlier.

"I need somewhere to sleep tonight, and I can't find Charlie. Or Adam," she says, giving Matt and Chris a quick look. "I thought you were..."

"Alone? Umm, Chris and Anthony are just here to watch some TV," I explain. "Did you loose your key card?"

"No, not exactly," she mumbles quietly. "I can't get into my room because Fred's there and he refuses to open up. I think he's not feeling all that well, so I need somewhere else to sleep." I notice that her eyes are all puffy, probably from crying. Before we came here I'd never seen her cry, and now she just keeps crying constantly. I would feel sorry for her, but she pretty much brought it on herself.

Matt gets up from the floor. "Why do you think we'll help you? Why do you even expect Jeff to help, for that matter?"

Cecilia shrugs and looks at me. "I don't know. I didn't have anywhere else to go. I really couldn't go to the girls now, could I?"

"No, you better stay away from them as much as possible," Matt suggests with a bitter tone. "Why are you still miserable? You have Fred to run to now, so why do you keep bothering us?"

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I didn't mean to do all those things, I know I was wrong. It just hurt so much to know that he wasn't interested in me anymore. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"Well, you did," Matt snorts. "And I think you should go find your own friends instead. I bet they can help you out."

This is getting out of hand, so I decide to join the conversation. "Give her a break, Matt. She's here to talk to me, not you." Cecilia gives me a new look, filled with gratitude and shame. I know she didn't do all those things on purpose, but Lex is my best friend and I have to be brutal and take Lex's side exclusively.

"You're taking her side?" Matt exclaims, clearly not seeing things the way I see them. "She punched Lex; how could you be nice to her?"

"She's my friend too," I explain, making Matt even more frustrated. "I've known her for a lot longer then you guys have. Why can't you see _my side of this?"_

"You're putting her ahead of Lex? How could you do that?" Matt asks angrily. Cecilia takes one step back, and I can see that Matt is the type of guy that scares her. She's been avoiding him ever since this whole mess got started, and I assume it's just because she's afraid he'll attack her or something. Of course, he would never do that. She's a defenseless, small girl who doesn't stand a chance to someone like Matt. He'd never even consider such a thing.

"Calm down!" Chris says, getting up from the floor. "There's no need to wake up the whole hotel."

"You can't stay here," Matt tells Cecilia.

"What happened?" I ask her. "Did you fight again?"

"No. Fred's just not opening up, and I don't have a key," Cecilia explains. "Maybe he's passed out or something, he was drinking a lot after dinner."

"I suggest you go and try to talk to him," I say. "That's the only solution I have. Matt's right, you can't stay here."

She doesn't move from the spot, even though we've clearly shown her that she should leave. Finally I sigh. "Cecilia..."

"I'm so sorry, Jeff. You know I will never do anything like that again. It just went out of hand. And I totally understand if you hate me right now, because everyone else seems to do that. I even understand if you want nothing to do with me anymore, once we get back home. I'm just so incredibly sorry." She gasps for air, and I start to feel bad for her.

"You're still my friend," I assure her, despite of the dirty looks Matt's throwing me. "You can stay here for a while, but not for long. Just until Charlie gets back."

Cecilia nods, and I move out of her way. "Just take your place anywhere. You want something to drink?" I ask. She climbs up on my bed and looks down on the popcorn and sodas we've placed on the floor. "You like tequila, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm not allowed to drink that," she explains. "Fred told me not to, and I'm staying sober until we get back home."

"Oh Lord," I smile. "How are you going to be able to pull that off?"

I take Matt's glass away from him and hand it to Cecilia. Matt seems to have a number of objections to share, but I cut him off by giving him a pointed look. "You can drink a little, a little is never bad," I tell Cecilia and she takes a sip. "Just as long as it doesn't get out of hand."

"I know what you mean," she mutters. Then she hands back the glass to me. "But I think I'll try to behave during these upcoming days. To prove to you people that I'm neither a raging alcoholic nor a violent psycho."

"Too late," Matt snorts. "I'm sorry, but I can't forgive you that easy. You're really not my favorite person right now."

"I know. But I'm really sorry. I'll probably spend the next three years in high-school, making up for what I did today. I'll carry Lex's books to every one of her classes. I'll even polish her shoes everyday before school."

"That's not really necessary," I grin. "But if you want to, you could carry my books. I have a bad shoulder."

"No, you don't!" she exclaims and smiles back. Now she's beginning to resemble that crazy girl I always have tons of fun with during the lessons we have together. As long as I don't picture her shoving Lex into the counter, I'll probably do fine forgiving her. Who else am I going to torture when we dissect a frog next semester?

Matt seems to warm up a bit, while I'm trying my best to show off some of her good sides. She does have a few, even if it might seem impossible right now. Anthony is staring at her, and it somewhat amuses me. Matt told me that Cecilia had been talking to him earlier today, and I think she made a huge impact on him. Just as long as he doesn't screw up tomorrow's show.

"Do you also think she deserves a second chance?" Matt suddenly asks Chris. He looks doubtful, but shrugs. "And why aren't you saying anything? Don't you have an opinion in the subject?" The last part was directed to Anthony, who's now squirming and looking uncomfortable.

"Anthony?"

"Well, I don't know," Anthony sighs. "She seems like a nice girl and all. And everyone needs a second chance, right?"

Cecilia's face lights up into a wide smile, and I'm trying hard not to laugh. Why can't she just realize that Anthony is making her feel so much better then Fred is? I'm only saying this because Anthony's a much closer friend to me then Fred, of course. But I won't say anything at all, because it's none of my business. Although, if Cecilia decides to be with Anthony, Fred would probably crawl back to Lex, and that would make Lex happy. So everyone wins that way.

"Oh, whatever," Matt mutters. "Ever heard of loyalty?"

Cecilia shifts her position and lies down on her stomach. Then she shoves at Matt a little. She must be affected by the alcohol a bit; otherwise she never would've dared to do that... "How can I make it up to you?"

"What? Well, try with going back in time and_ not_ hitting Lex," Matt growls. "Why did you have to come to our room anyway?"

"Jeff is the only one of you I really know," she points out.

"And, you were also trying to avoid Anthony," Matt snorts. "Like you have been doing all day, since your talking session earlier…which, by the way, is the only reason to why he's forgiving you so quickly. Can't you make up your mind and decide if you want to be with Fred or not?"

Anthony seems to share the opinion about her making up her mind, but he's keeping his mouth shut. Cecilia shrugs. "What do you care?"

"I don't. I just think you have a real jerk as a boyfriend," Matt says. "And you have the bruises to prove it with. That must really be sore by now, right?"

Cecilia grabs another drink and swipes it. She tries to turn her head away from us to avoid letting us see how black and blue she really is, even though it's pretty obvious anyway. "Yeah, well, it's my choice to be with him, and he's not usually like this," she answers, looking like she's in pain again, which she probably is. Lex's punches will probably hurt long after we're back home again.

"I just can't stand him," Matt growls, also downing another drink. I think it's time to interfere with their bickering.

"Oh, yeah? At least you haven't slept with him!" Cecilia shouts back.

Matt just rolls his eyes, and is about to bitch back when I speak up. "That's enough, you two. Matt, you have to be the reasonable one. She's just a baby."

"I'm not a baby," Cecilia pipes up and starts to climb off the bed. I laugh and grab her shirt to get her to stay.

"You are the youngest," I point out. "Get back here, and stop fighting. You don't have to leave."

"Don't deceive her like that," Matt snorts, and Cecilia tries to slide off the bed again. I hold her back, and she sighs. Then she reaches for more of the tequila. I knew that would get her to stay, she always drinks that whenever we go out somewhere.

I'm considering going over to knock on the door to her room, to see if Fred is there. Although, if it is like she says, and he's passed out on the bed, he probably won't care. Maybe I could go down to the lobby and ask someone to open the door for Cecilia, but I don't have the strength. I guess she could stay for a while longer, until Charlie comes back. Then she could sleep in their room.

Cecilia rolls over on her back and crawls into one of the blankets. The rest of us keep talking, even though we should go to bed. We have a big show tomorrow, and I just know that the girls won't like it if we fall asleep during the performance. Girls often have a problem with things like that.

"Maybe we should head back to our room," Chris says to Anthony. "If you're done drooling over the girl, of course."

"Shut up. She has a boyfriend."

"Yeah, we're all pretty much aware of that by now," Matt mutters. "Is she sleeping?"

Oh, no. What do I do with a sleeping, violent, tiny chick? The only thing I can do, I guess. I let her sleep in my bed, while forcing Matt to give me his bed. This plan obviously won't work because he's refusing a lot, so I'll probably end up sleeping on the floor…unless Anthony's willing to trade with me, of course. I bet he wouldn't have much against having to sleep next to Cecilia.


	22. Calm Before The Storm

hey kids! chapter 22 for ya…I did more Jeff here, but it's short and amusing, I promise. then there's Goldberg, who was done wonderfully by Cimmy. let us know how it is! hit the review button! 

special thanks to the reviewers!

disclaimer: see previous chapter.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
**Chapter 22: Calm Before the Storm  
By NYgolfish54 and Cimmy**

**Jeff's POV**

I'm woken up by Lex tapping on my face.

"Get up," she says to me, throwing a pair of my boxer shorts at my head as I lift it from the floor. As I predicted, I couldn't get Matt give me his bed ('hey, _you invited her to stay') so I ended up sleeping on the floor._

"Alright, alright, I'm up. How'd you get in here?" I ask her. She doesn't have a key card to our room.

"I used my skills as a thief from the city streets to pick the lock and sneak in unnoticed!" she says.

"Do you know the flaw in your brilliant plan?" I ask her.

"What's the flaw in my brilliant plan?"

"It's a key card lock. It can't be picked."

"Damn. Alright, you've caught me. I knocked, and Matt opened the door. Is that a more satisfactory explanation?"

"Yes…where is Matt, by the way?" I say, smiling at her.

"He went in the shower just after I walked in. Why aren't you in your bed?" she asks heading over.

Oh no. "Lex, don't get mad-" I start, but it's too late. She's yanked the cover off the bed, and is looking down at Cecilia, who is still asleep, curled up into a little ball.

For a second, Lex looks absolutely revolted. Then her expression changes to an unreadable one. "Why is she in your bed?" she asks me. "Jeff, you didn't-!"

"No of course I didn't. Fred didn't open the door last night, Charlie and Adam were out, and she had no place else to go. Lex, don't be mad. Matt didn't want her to stay, it's my fault-"

"Relax, Jeff, I'm not mad," she says, and she really looks it. This is one of those times she's so hard to read. "But you can explain to Fred. I'm not taking any part in it," she says, covering Cecilia up again, and even tucking her in.

"So why are you here?" I ask her.

"We have to go get Robbie from the airport. You promised you'd come."

"Oh right," I say, pulling off my pajama shirt and putting on a clean one. "But you said we didn't have to leave until 9:30." 

"It is 9:30." I glance at the clock, and she's right. It's 9:30.

"Oh," I say. "Hey, Lex, turn around for a second."

She grants my request, and I quickly put on clean boxers and jeans. "Ok, you can turn around again." She turns back, and she's smirking at me. 

"Why are you smirking, you little Irish maniac?" I ask. 

"No reason," she says turning around again. Then I realize it. She turned around and was facing directly at a mirror, which reflected what was going on behind her. She saw everything, and I mean _everything._

"Lex, you little…!" I swipe at her, but she's already on her way out the door. 

"Meet you in the car!" she yells at me as she leaves. 

I follow her out of the room, and I can see her sprinting around the corner. I laugh. I have to. I won't be mad at her, not for long. But she's lucky she's Lex. If she was anyone else, I'd be forced to kill her.

***

**Goldberg's POV**

What a difference one night of sleep does to some people. Charlie is very cheerful when he comes out from the elevator. He even says hello to Adam. Adam is also upbeat, but he hasn't really been all that depressed during this week.

Connie seems tired, but happy. She's still skipping around, trying to get Portman to brighten up. He, on the other hand, looks like he was just run over by a steamroller. I guess he got a little too much to drink last night.

I'm quite satisfied too, actually. Okay, I didn't hook up with anyone during this week, like others did. It must be because my name isn't compatible with anyone else's. I mean, how adorable doesn't 'Averman and Anna' sound? Or 'Jeff and Julie'? Although, 'Dwayne and Sammie' doesn't have the same ring to it. I'm probably over-thinking this whole thing, aren't I?

Dwayne told me that he was thinking about asking Sammie out, after I caught him sneaking around in the lobby, following her around last night. The stalking ended when she went in to her room to sleep, and Dwayne knocked over a plant. I just had to ask what he was doing, and he was nice enough to tell, after I forced him.

"I need food!" Ken whines, with a happy grin on his face. Just to think how bad things were at this time yesterday. Now everyone's really ecstatic about the upcoming show, and I definitely feel the same way.

"We're getting food!" Connie says with a perky voice. "Yay!"

"Could someone slip that girl a tranquilizer of some sort?" Portman mutters and gives Fulton a sad look. "My head hurts."

"Tough. Don't drink so much next time. Jeez, you're worse then Psycho," Fulton points out, and we all snicker. They are entertaining, our Bashes. I have to say that they are more entertaining now when they're out in the open, then they were before. At least that's what I think.

Portman continues to whine frequently until Julie hits him over the head with a paper. That results in him wrestling her down on the floor, trying to tickle her to death. She's laughing hysterically, trying to break free.

"You two, could you stop it?" Charlie begs, even though he's grinning. "This is how battles begin."

"Yeah, I guess we should know that," I snort, making the others look regretful. Oops, I didn't mean to bring down the atmosphere like this.

Charlie clears his throat and waves at us, while climbing up on a chair. "We need to have a chat. How about we try to behave good these next couple of days? You know, to not look like we're total assholes. Lex and Jeff really tried hard to get us here, and I think we should show a bit more appreciation."

"Hey, some of us haven't been spending the week fighting all day long!" Julie pipes up. "I've had a good time."

"Yes, we know!" we all turn to her and say.

She blushes, trying to fight off Portman from her left side. "I didn't mean it like that!" she mumbles and hides behind Fulton.

"So, how about it, Ducks?" Charlie asks us, the leader he is. "Could we try to be a tad nicer to our hosts? That means; no more fist-fights, and no more screaming."

We all object, since none of us were part of the fighting yesterday. Come to think of it, Fred and Cecilia aren't even here yet. "Are you trying to make us feel guilty for something they started? And also, Lex and Anthony weren't all that innocent either!" Guy says, shaking his head.

"I know that," Charlie replies. "But you have to admit that our fighting couple has been the main source to all of this. Next time we go somewhere, we have to keep them in separate cages."

"There won't be a next time," Russ laughs. "Our reputation has already preceded us. We're like one of those rock bands that no one wants to invite anywhere, because they all know that we'd probably trash everything in sight."

"Do we get a bus to ride around in then?" Guy wonders out loud, and we all give him a funny look. Connie puts an arm around him and gives him a hug.

"It's lucky you're cute," she points out, and we laugh at them.

"Are we all clear on this?" Charlie continues, rolling his eyes. "What was my point?"

He likes giving us pop quizzes, to see if we're really following his orders or slacking off. "To be nicer!" we all exclaim. Adam grabs Charlie's arm and yanks him down from the chair, to avoid more speeches like this.

I'm beginning to see Ken's logic in the whole 'I need food' outburst. My stomach craves for one of those yummy omelets they served yesterday. I could sell all my friend for just one bite of that omelet. Heck, I'd give them up for free.

Just as Charlie begins to admonish us again, the non-Ducks show up. All but Jeff and Lex shows up from around the corner, and they don't seem too angry with us for what happened yesterday. Cecilia is surprisingly enough also with them, walking two steps behind Matt, next to Anthony. So, she changed party, huh? I wonder if we can get her to stay there?

"Oh, look, it's the feisty one," Portman complains. "My head hurts again."

"Shut up," Fulton mumbles. "You really don't get to have an opinion in the matter."

Cecilia also seems to be a lot more cheerful this morning. Compared to yesterday, she's unbelievably happy. Although she's still limping, so I guess she's in pain today as well. Her bruises are still very noticeable, taking up half her face. I can just imagine how her arms and legs must look like, if her face is that messed up.

"We were wondering where you guys were," Charlie howls at the band, and then he looks at Cecilia. "Where have you been?"

"Nowhere," she shrugs. Then she jumps out of the way when Matt takes one step closer to Sammie. I bet Cecilia's intimidated by him because he's always giving her those angry stares.

"Well, enough chit-chat," Ken interrupts. "What about breakfast?"

"If that's alright with you," Charlie grins widely, driving Ken insane. Cecilia pushes her way up to Adam and falls headlong into his arms. She's done that hundred of times to him, and every time he's almost close to dropping her.

"I've told you to stop doing that," he rolls his eyes at her. She just grins back and throws her arms around his neck. Yes, she's definitely back from being depressed. She's a lot more of a hazard when she's jumping around like this.

"So, we're all here?" Connie asks. "Except for Jeff and Lex. Where are they?"

"They went to pick up Robbie, Lex's brother," Anna says, joining Averman by the couch. "They'll be back later."

"Jeff too?" Julie shrieks loudly. Then she blushes again, while we walk by her towards the restaurant, patting her shoulder. She's very amusing when she has a crush on someone.

"Fred's not here!" Connie exclaims when she looks around. "We have to wait for him, right?"

"Why?" Ken mutters. "He knows where the restaurant is at. And, his watch has one of those radar thingies. He can spot us from a mile away."

"It's actually a tracking device," Cecilia speaks up. "Not that you needed that sort of information, maybe..."

Ken stares at her for a second. Then he opens his mouth. "Food!" he exclaims in her face, and she nods, pointing towards the table.

"What about Fred?" Connie whimpers, stomping her foot. "Why aren't we waiting for him?"

"What's the big deal?" Charlie sighs. "It's not like he's lost all alone in the woods. He'll get her when he's done sleeping off his hang-over."

We all go over to the table we've been occupying ever since we got here. Everyone's trying hard being polite and nice to the band members, and I think we're kind of freaking them out a little.

I get up to stand in line to get me some breakfast. We all let Ken go first; otherwise he would've stabbed us just to get to the sausages. Connie bounces up next to me, smiles sweetly and cuts in line. She only gets away with things like that because she's beautiful.

"So, why aren't you keeping track of Fred?" Charlie asks Cecilia behind me. As tempting as it is to hear her explanation, I'd rather not. "Didn't you stay with him in your room tonight?"

"No, he sort of disappeared after he and Portman went to get hammered," Cecilia explains and grabs a plate. "I assumed he passed out, and that's why he didn't open the door for me. I tried to get you, but you weren't in your room."

"Eh..." Charlie murmurs and looks away. "So, where did you crash then?"

"In our room," Matt moans. "Her boyfriend rejected her so much this time that she had to come to me for comfort. That's how bad things were."

"Oh, shut up," Cecilia mutters and glares at him. "I didn't come to you, I went to Jeff. The nice one. The one I like."

"I thought Anthony was the one you liked," Matt answers, gazing up into the ceiling. Then he smirks. "Right?"

I can't tell if they're being serious or not, because I rarely know what goes on in that girls head. She seems annoyed, and Matt seems irritated. "Did you sleep in their room tonight?" Charlie asks impatiently.

"Yes, and it was awful," Matt answers in her place. "All she did was going on and on about her loving boyfriend..."

"No, I didn't!" Cecilia exclaims, then she throws an apple at him. "Shut up."

I exchange a look with Charlie, not knowing what to do really. Matt grabs her arm and she almost looses her balance, so he catches her before she falls. I notice that the Ducks standing in line look up to see that she's alright, preparing to take her side in case the whole bickering thing turns out to be something serious.

"Ow! That almost hurt!" Cecilia shrieks and Matt laughs. Okay, so it's not serious. I take a deep breath of relief, and I go back to my search for the omelet. Even though Portman's pretending like it didn't bother him at all, he clearly reacted to the incident too, showing how much we really look after each other, even when it comes to Psycho. Man, that nickname is really catching on...

We all sit down, finally, and eat our food. No one's angry or upset, except for Ken who only managed to get eight sausages this time, before he was told to leave the buffet alone. The band seems surprised that we know how to behave, and even though Matt continues to tease Cecilia, she doesn't get an outburst of any sort at all. And she doesn't even know about the whole 'be nicer' program Charlie is running.

"So, when does the show start?" Averman asks, trying to fight off Connie from stealing his food. Anna looks up to answer, but Sammie beats her to it.

"At 6:00 pm, although we're not on until 7:30. But the other bands are supposed to be quite good too."

"Not too good, I hope," Chris says from the other side of the table. He shoves at Anthony, who's still busy gazing at Cecilia. It's so obvious, why doesn't anyone say anything? Or is it just obvious to me?

"Yeah, sure," Anthony answers automatically and pretends like he's been listening the whole time.

Chris rolls his eyes, there's a lot of that going around today, and shrugs at Sammie. She just giggles. I smile to myself, finding the whole situation a bit bizarre. "So," I say. "When do we have to be there?"

"I don't know, about an hour before it actually starts?" Anna suggests. "I don't know how many people there will be, so it's best to be precautious."

Portman starts to cough violently, and Fulton moans. "I told you to take smaller bites!" he says, throwing his hands into the air. "You're like a small baby."

Portman glares at him for a second, then he grabs his glass of water, but chokes on that too. "I'm not a baby," he explains while gasping for air.

I see that Matt does some gesture at Cecilia, and she waves him off. Must be some sort of inside joke or reference…although, only Matt is laughing.

We finish up, Cecilia leaves to find Fred, and Charlie leaves to find some aspirin for Portman. I decide to go with Russ and Julie, but I don't know where they're headed really. We bump into Cecilia again, and she decides to tag along to this unknown location. I guess she got bored with looking for Fred.

Somehow I feel like this day is going to be a lot better then the other days. We're going to a show, we get to party and have fun all night, plus there hasn't been one fight all morning. This just calls for a celebration, right? Obviously that's what the others think too, because we all end up by the pool, drinking those cool drinks. Charlie just howls 'no alcohol' eight times before he gives in. I think that's a record.

"When are Lex and Jeff coming back? They should be here too!" Julie exclaims and tries to catch one of the ice cubes on the bottom of her glass.

"Congrats, this time you included Lex in your sentence as well," Adam smiles and ducks as the ice cube comes flying towards him.

"There you are!" Connie suddenly bellows, getting up from her chair so fast that she almost shoves Guy into the pool. Fred comes strolling over to us over the lawn. "I said to wait for you, but they refused... Ack!" Before she has time to finish that line, Guy yanks her down into the chair again.

"That's okay, I wasn't all that hungry anyway. What happened to the 'no alcohol' policy?" Fred wants to know, sitting down next to Cecilia. "Hey."

"Hey!" she smiles. "They have tequila."

"Oh, great," Fred grins back and takes her glass to pour it all out in the grass. "No alcohol."

"Spoil-sport," she pouts. He wraps his arms around her, and she seems content with that. It surprises me that neither of them mentions what happened last night. What I understand, Fred slept by himself, so shouldn't he question where Cecilia slept? But no way am I going to bring that subject up!

We end up sitting there for a while, without mentioning any fights or even pastry. We just talk, drink and hang out, just as the whole point of this trip was. But somehow I get the feeling that this is just the calm before the storm. It usually is when it comes to us Ducks.


	23. A War With Words

chapter 23, because I'm going to be gone from August 25-29, so don't expect any updates until Friday or Saturday. _For more information, see bottom of page._   
  
disclaimer: The Ducks belong to Disney. Disney World and everything in it belongs to Disney. (Incase you couldn't figure that out on your own. *wink*) Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Matt, Sammie, Anna, Chris, and Anthony belong to NYgoldfish54. Robbie, Lex's older brother, also belongs to NYgoldfish54. You meet him in this chapter.  
  
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**Chapter 23: A War With Words   
By NYgoldfish54 and Cimmy **

Guy's POV 

Wow. A semi-relaxing afternoon to look forward to. We don't get many of those in Duck world. Between the screaming and fighting and constant bickering, I don't see how nobody's killed anybody else off yet. 

We're here by the pool, drinking those bright colored drinks. The only two people who aren't drinking are Cecilia and Fred, and my main guess would be that it's because once they get started it's hard to get them to stop. It's better that they don't start. The two of them hammered aren't really what we need right now.   
Lex and Anthony were not completely innocent in the scuffle yesterday, and I'm obligated to take Cecilia and Fred's side, but jeez, could those two cause any more trouble? Lex and Anthony at least seem able to listen to reason from time to time. 

I'm lying with Connie on the grass. We haven't had a good make-out session on this trip yet. I think it's time to get one started. 

I kiss her, and begin to let my hands wander. She giggles into my shoulder and let's me continue, quite possibly lying still for the first time on this trip. I'm glad I have her. Really, truly, I'm so happy she's mine. Sure, she's a bouncy freak sometimes, but she's my bouncy freak, and that's all that counts. She's smart, she's caring, she's a Duck, she's beautiful, and she loves me. What else can I ask for? 

We're at it, having a good time, and only stopped when a guy standing over us says, "You must be Connie and Guy, I've been told all about you." 

I practically fly off Connie and to my feet. "Who are you?" I ask him in my best 'challenging' voice. Connie gets up off the ground and stands, and I shield her slightly. 

"Relax, kid, relax. I'm Robbie. I'm Lex's older brother," he holds out his hand for me to shake. I take it, a bit embarrassed that I got so jumpy. Now that I'm looking at him, he kind of looks like Lex. He's got the same brown eyes she does, and same nose. His hair isn't brown like hers though. It's brownish red. It's almost like Jeff's. 

"You do kind of look like Lex," Connie says, reading my mind. 

"Well, I _am_ her brother. Nice to meet you, by the way. I've heard all about you." 

"You have?" 

"Yeah. Lex calls and writes. She talks about you kids all the time." 

"She tells you about Connie and me?" I ask. 

"Well, yeah, and the rest of your…" 

"Ducks?" Connie supplies. 

"Yeah, that's it! The Ducks." 

"Hey Guy, hey Connie," Lex says, coming up behind Robbie. "This is my brother Robbie." 

"Yeah, I just told them. But I thought there were more of them?" Robbie says to his sister. 

"There are more." 

"Where?" 

"This sounds like a job for Charlie," Connie says to me. 

"You're right," I agree. "CHARLIE!" I holler at him on the other side of the pool complex. 

"WHAT?" he yells. 

"LEX'S BROTHER IS HERE! HE WANTS TO MEET THE DUCKS!" I bellow. 

In less the two minutes, Charlie has the Ducks all around Robbie. 

"This is Goldberg, Averman, Banks, Julie, Fulton, Portman, Kenny, Russ, Luis, Dwayne, Cecilia, and Fred. You've already met Connie and Guy. I'm Charlie," Charlie says, pointing out each Duck before introducing himself.   
  
"Nice to meet you all. Lex writes about you all the time," Robbie says. 

"Really?" Adam asks. "What does she say?" 

"Mostly good things," Robbie says, smiling at him. Then he spoke to Lex again. "Lex, where are-" 

But before he could finish, Anna, Sammie, Matt, Chris, and Anthony have come over to join the group. They greet Robbie like an old friend. 

"Hey Robbie," says Anna 

"Hey beautiful," says Robbie. Anna grins. 

"Hi Robbie," says Sammie. 

"Hey devil child," says Robbie, and Sammie laughs. I wonder what earned Sammie that nickname? 

Anthony, Matt, and Chris slap hands with him. Robbie's asking everyone questions. 

"Where's Jeff?" Julie asks Lex finally, looking quite anxious. 

"Jeff went to put my brother's bags in his room. Have no fear, he'll be back soon." As if on cue, Jeff came waltzing out the doors of that lead to inside the hotel. Julie practically threw herself on him. 

"Hey, Julie, hi," he says, smiling. 

"Hi Jeff, I missed you," she threw her arms around him. 

"It's been what? A whole 12 hours or so?" he says, joking. 

"Too long," she murmurs. 

"So Jeff's got himself a girlfriend. You failed to mention _that_ in your letters," Robbie says, giving Lex a pointed look. 

"It's sort of a new acquisition," Lex explains, giving Jeff and Julie a peculiar look. Julie clinging to Jeff does look sort of weird, now that I'm staring at it. 

"What time's the show tonight?" Robbie asks. 

"Well, we don't go on until 7:30. The band before us ends at 6:00, so you should probably get there around 6:15," Chris explains. 

"The band before you?" Robbie asks. 

"Yeah. There's a show in the afternoon and then a show in the evening. They've been going on all week. We just haven't been to any," Jeff says. 

"Really? Why not?" Robbie wasn't asking this question. It was Fred. 

"Because," Matt says, giving Fred the same nasty glare Fred often gives other people, "we've been too busy baby-sitting." 

Fred looked puzzled and opened his mouth, but before he spoke Cecilia gave him an elbow. I'm willing to bet everything dear to me, including Connie, that Fred was going to ask 'baby-sitting who?' which probably would have caused Matt to go insane and kill Fred in a fit of psychotic rage. It's a good thing Cecilia's smarter than Fred sometimes. 

"Baby-sitting who?" Robbie asks. 

"Nobody, nobody," Lex says, glaring at Matt. Matt just grins at her. 

"I'd better get up to my room and unpack. See you kids later, ok?" 

"Bye Robbie," we all chorus, as he makes his exit. 

"So that's your brother? How old is he?" Connie asks Lex. 

"He's going to be 18 in October," Lex answers, smiling after him. "I love my brother." 

"Why?" Goldberg asks, sounding incredibly stupid. 

Lex gives him a funny look, then laughs. "Cause he's my older brother, and he's sooo cool!" 

We all head back to the pool. Lex sits down next to Adam. Adam points at Portman, who's dunking his head underwater, whispers something to Lex, and makes her laugh. I sit down next Connie again, and she says, "That guy, Robbie, he was cute." 

"Hey! He- he's too old for you!" I say, stuttering slightly. Don't think of leaving me, Connie. Please, don't leave. It'd kill me.

"What? I know that. He was just cute, that's all. Don't worry, Guy, I wouldn't leave you," she smiles. She can just about read my mind. I guess that's what happens when you're with someone for years and years. 

"How do I know that?" I ask her, pretending to be suspicious. 

"Cause nobody kisses better than you," she says. 

"Oh," I say, genuinely surprised at her answer. I don't feel like I'm that great a kisser. 

The silence continues for a moment, then she says, "Hey, remember how you were kissing me before Robbie interrupted?" 

"Yeah." 

"Well, I've forgotten. Could you remind me?" she asks, smiling at me. 

I grin at her, and we pick up right where we left off. 

*** 

****

Luis's POV 

"Could you go and get some more drinks?" Connie pleads and tilts her head to look adorable. I'm already sold, and the two other people she was addressing, Matt and Fred, also seem to fall for that. "I want a red umbrella, and some more peanuts." 

"Does anyone else need anything?" Fred is stupid enough to ask. Of course, they all start to order long lists of things they want from the bar. I shake my head at Fred, and he shrugs apologetically. 

"Play nice now, boys," Lex says, looking at us. She seems to be looking more at Fred than me, and more at Matt than Fred. 

None of us say anything until we get inside. Fred tries to hold all the requests apart, but can only remember what Connie and Cecilia ordered. I can only remember what Lex and Julie was shouting, so it's all up to Matt now. 

"Connie wanted a pink umbrella, right?" Fred asks me, sounding confused. This is the guy that can barely remember what lesson we just had, so I can't get too irritated with him. Matt on the other hand, not knowing about Fred's lack of learning ability, snorts loudly. Fred turns to face him. "What's your problem?" 

Oh, no. Matt looks up and stares at Fred for a second. "You're my problem. I don't like you." 

"Well, I can't really say that I'm all that in love with you either," Fred mutters and takes a sip from Connie's drink. "This tastes like crap." 

"Can you two try and behave? The more we try to get along, the more time we have left to enjoy ourselves. Fred, could you stop it?" I say, trying my best to keep them from demolish each other. 

"I'm trying," Fred replies with an angry expression on his face. "And I don't understand what I've done to make you hate me this much." 

Matt looks stunned, then he opens his mouth to bellow something at Fred. I quickly wave at him to keep his voice down. We really don't need this right now, with parents and siblings right around the corner. "Are you really so stupid that you can't understand what I have against you?" Matt's voice comes out as quiet mumbling instead. 

"I'm not stupid," Fred says automatically, like he always does when someone calls him that. "I understand if you're mad because of Lex, but I tried to hold Cecilia away from her yesterday..." 

"It's not your girlfriend who's the problem, it's you," Matt explains angrily. "You broke Lex's heart, and made her cry. I would've beaten you up already, if the girls hadn't held me back." 

Fred is quiet for a long time, giving Matt a very bewildered look. He seems both astounded and desperate. Finally he speaks. "You'd actually hit me, because what happened with me and Lex? Why?" 

There's much you can hold against Fred. He's always acting thoughtless, and he always goes one step too far with everything. Despite of all that, he's actually very responsible. When I think about it, he's not as clueless as we all think he is. It just takes a bit longer for him to process other people's thoughts and actions. 

"Because you hurt her, you idiot," Matt rolls his eyes. "What'd you think? Because your terrible taste in music?" 

Fred gives him a sad look. "I know I was acting like a jerk, but that's no reason for you to hit me," Fred points out, sounding awfully logical. He has his bright moments sometimes. "Why would violence solve this? Because it would make _you_ feel better? You don't achieve anything by hitting people. Trust me." 

Matt looks even angrier now. "What would you know about it? You constantly hurt the people around you, not caring about them at all!" 

"But I wouldn't hit them!" Fred exclaims, sounding panic stricken. "I would never punch anyone, it's wrong to use violence just to deal with your problems." 

"Oh, how very reasonable of you," Matt mutters. "I bet your girlfriend taught you that, huh?" 

"What Cecilia does wrong has nothing to do with what I do wrong," Fred explains, remaining calm. Could it be possible for him to be able to work this out just by using words? "I've been trying to tell her to watch her temper, but she's very stubborn. And violent." 

"So, the pacifist is in love with a warrior," Matt snorts. "Wouldn't that make for a great Disney movie?" 

Since they're beginning to get on my nerves, I knock on the counter to get their attention. "I bet they're wondering where their drinks are," I point out, but they just turn back to face each other instead. 

"Wouldn't it have been worse if I physically hurt Lex? If I tried to break her down mentally, or if I'd been threatening her verbally? I know you hate me for what I did, but that gives you no right to go around and just wait for a chance to kill me. I've done nothing to deserve that." 

Matt gives him a tired look. "Just wait until someone you care about is humiliated and beaten up in public. Then we can have this conversation." 

"You just don't get it," Fred sighs. "I don't want to have this conversation. I told Lex I was sorry, and she forgave me, at least some. And may I remind you that my girlfriend is a lot more injured then Lex? But that doesn't give me the right to wish I could beat Lex or Anthony up." 

I try to feel less awkward. Matt doesn't answer, and Fred still seems upset. This statement of Matt's really bothers him, obviously. "It wasn't called for," Matt suddenly says, killing the silence. "You knew from the beginning that you didn't want to be with Lex. It wasn't fair to deceive her like you did." 

"I didn't do it on purpose," Fred mumbles. "I'm just not cut out for dealing with problems…or how to avoid getting beaten up you and your friends. I'm just confused in general. And what's even sadder; you don't even seem to realize that you're dealing with this the wrong way. You're just so determined to beat me up that you can't even listen to me." 

Matt shrugged again. "You're so full of shit right now." 

"No, I'm not! I'm the reasonable one for once! I'm not here to start to a fight with you. I don't want to hit you, and I really don't want you to beat me up either. Violence solves nothing!" Fred shouts at Matt, and now he's beginning to sound like he's going to cry. I don't know if I want to witness that right now. 

"What sort of a bubble have you been living in? This is the real world, and either you stand your ground and show people what you're made of, or you surrender and let people walk right over you. Was your childhood really that disconnected from the real world? Let me guess: happy childhood and loving parents? Talk about being naive!"   
  
Fred closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before he continues. "Actually, it wasn't that far off from the conditions of this vacation. Screaming people, fights, and thrown objects. We weren't disconnected, we were ignored. Our parents fought all the time, and my Dad used to hit my Mom constantly. He never went at my brothers, because I always took the blame. Do you know how it feels to live in constant fear? I had to deal with all the rage, since I'm considered to be the huge mistake of the family. My childhood was a battle field, not a bubble. Please don't judge people before you know them." 

"Who said that you're the only one with problems?" Matt answers, still holding a grudge against Fred. "We all have problems." 

"I know that. I just don't think that violence is necessary. You really see things in perspective when your own parents write you off as a loser, and make you feel completely worthless. If you still don't have the need to punch things after that, you've come quite a long way," Fred explains and takes another sip from Connie's drink. "And this is seriously disgusting." 

Luckily, the rest of the conversation gets interrupted by Charlie, Connie, and Cecilia. Connie shrieks when she sees Fred drinking from her glass. "Eww, that's not sanitary!" She rushes up to him and takes away the drink. "What took you so long? Hey, is everything alright?" 

"Yeah, everything's fine. We were just talking," Fred answers. "Right, Matt?" Matt nods, and they both seem less annoyed with one another now then they were five minutes ago. I guess this is what they call 'spilling your guts'. I thought they'd never shut up. 

Matt takes the tray with the drinks, nods at me and Fred, and leaves to go out again. I feel really uncomfortable. Connie owes me a huge favor after this. Charlie keeps throwing me suspicious glances, but I just gesture that everything's okay, because it is. Connie gets some more drinks, and hands Cecilia one of those blue ones. 

"They're really yummie!" Connie cheers, waiting for Cecilia to taste. "I promise." 

"Don't allure her into trouble, Moreau," Charlie warns, taking away the drink and swipes it himself. "No more messing for you, young lady." 

"I really didn't want it anyway," Cecilia makes a grimace at him. She smiles at me, and then she goes over to Fred and pulls his sleeve. "Fred? What did Matt and you talk about?" 

"Nothing. Don't worry, there won't be anymore blood baths for a while. He's nicer to you now, I hope?" Fred smiles, looking tired. 

"Yeah, he's okay. He probably won't squeeze me to death with his bare hands," Cecilia says, sitting down on the bar stool next to me. 

"She's in pain," Charlie announces, sounding like a real tattle tale. 

"No, I'm not!" Cecilia objects and throws a blue umbrella at him. "I was just saying that my body is still aching, but that's not the same thing. Although, my back is sort of killing me." 

"That's why we're here," Charlie sighs. "Portman ate all the aspirin I could find, so I need more for Psycho. Cee. Cecilia." 

"You could take some muscle relaxers," Connie shouts. "I think I have some." 

"For what? When were you injured?" I ask her, and she grins. 

"I wasn't. They're Guy's, but I stole them. He used them after he was hit in that game..." 

"Last year?" Charlie interrupts with a laugh. "How old are they anyway?" 

"I don't know, a few months old. You can have them if you want; I always forget to take them out of my bag anyway." 

"Why would you keep them there?" I question her. 

"Well, I'm a good girlfriend. I didn't want him to get addicted to them, so I stole them!" Connie exclaims happily. "Here you go." 

Connie is really weird sometimes. And her thoughts don't always make sense, being all hysterical from time to time. Charlie doesn't object to her idea, maybe he just wants Cecilia off his back for a while. "Maybe you should take one, if you're in such pain," he suggests. 

"Oh, so now you want me to be stoned too?" Cecilia asks. "I think I have to be rational and say not to this. I rather just get wasted and pass out, you know, the normal way. But thanks anyway." Connie keeps holding her hand out, until Cecilia takes the jar, but she quickly puts them away into her pocket. 

I take the three drinks I'm in charge of getting, and head back out. It took me fifteen minutes to get beverages. I'm lucky they contain alcohol. Maybe that will make it easier to forget this last couple of minutes?  
  
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hey, everybody. Cimmy and I hope you liked it…hit the review button, ok?

Like I said earlier, I'm going away between August 25-29 (Monday-Friday), so don't expect any updates before Friday or Saturday. I might update though. It depends on the computer access I have, so who knows? Anyway, Cimmy and I will be writing. I have my tasks set, and Cimmy is always coming up with new ideas. Have a good week everybody!

Peace and Peaches,  
Kristine and Cimmy


	24. Sex, Ducks, and Rock n' Roll

hey everyone! I'm back, and since I had computer access, Cimmy and I could come up with chapters. I just couldn't post them. so here's chapter 24. hope you love it, as things will be heating up again…look for…eh, why spoil the surprise? hit the review button when finished, and thanks to all the reviewers!

Hope you all had a wonderful week!  
-Kristine and Cimmy

__

quick story notes: the story's rating has been changed to R because the language/sexuality of the characters in the story is getting stronger…essentially, there's more cursing and more smut. *grins* not so much here, but in the next few chapters. 

disclaimer: The Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Anthony, Anna, Chris, Sammie, and Matt belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 24: Sex, Ducks, and Rock 'n Roll  
By Cimmy and NYgoldfish54**

Cecilia's POV (By Cimmy)

My back is really killing me. I'm glad that Jeff let me sleep in his bed, so I didn't end up on the floor. I was still so sore when I woke up this morning that I could barely move.

Right now I'm trying not to move at all. After the others went outside to the pool again, I decided to stay inside to avoid ruining their day with my complaints. At first I sat down in the couch, but then I realized that it wouldn't hurt as bad if I laid down, so now I'm lying on the floor, trying to find something to look at in the ceiling.

"So, this is where you are."

I look up, and it's Fred. He gives me an amused look. "Yeah, I'm taking a break," I smile. He sits down next to me and shoves at my leg.

"You wanna go out to the others?" he asks. "They just ordered some tequila shots. Not that you're allowed to drink, but you could just keep us company."

I don't answer at once, and he lies down next to me and looks up into the ceiling. "The ceiling's beige," he points out, making me laugh. He has some sort of obsession about ceilings, my love. "And I guess that's why you're lying down."

"Yep."

He moves closer and kisses me. I close my eyes and pretend that it's not killing me when he pulls me closer. Then I remember that we're in the middle of the hotel, on the floor in the next room from the lobby. I don't think the receptionist would like it if we make out here.

"So, are you really angry at me for last night?" I ask.

"For what? Did we fight last night?" Fred wonders, confused as always.

I laugh. "No, but you refused to open the door for me, so I just figured I'd done something bad again," I explain, looking back up into the beige ceiling.

"I'm sorry about that," Fred says. "I had too much to drink, and I sort of passed out on the bed. It's all Portman's fault. I totally forgot about you, I'm sorry."

"That's fine. I slept with Jeff," I reply, and Fred sits up and looks at me. Yeah, I didn't really express myself very well, did I? "I mean, in his room. He slept on the floor."

"Oh," Fred mumbles and lies down again. "Umm, well, good. Are you still in pain?"

"Not so much," I lie.

Fred smiles and puts his hand on my cheek. It doesn't hurt that much, so I let him proceed with the kissing. Then he pulls me into his embrace and rests his chin on my head. I crawl closer, I need his comfort right now.

"You wanna go to our room for a while?" he asks me.

"Sure, why not?" I say, gazing at him. Then I understand what he's really asking me. "Oh, you mean... Be in our room?" I sit up and try to avoid squealing with pain, and I manage to let it go unnoticed how hurt I really am.

"I didn't mean that!" Fred laughs and tilts his head to the side. "I just meant if you want to go rest. If you don't want to go to the show tonight, I totally understand."

"Of course I do!" I exclaim. "That's why we're here!"

"Okay. Do you just wanna stay here on the floor?"

"No," I say, looking into his eyes. "Let's go upstairs."

He gives up short laugh, and helps me up on my feet. We both walk over to the elevator, and now I'm nervous. Why do I always agree to things before I've thought them through?

I walk two steps behind Fred. I would walk even further behind if he hadn't been holding my hand, and I try not to wince when he accidentally squeezes the finger Lex's knee damaged when we were rolling around on the floor.

"Do you have the key?"

I nod and go through my pockets to find it. I decided to go get my key-card right before I went down to find my spot on the floor. I figured it could come in handy if Fred decided to ignore me again. Though, I don't think that'll happen any time soon. He leans down to kiss me, and instead of finding the stupid card, I put my arms around his neck. He takes one step closer and I bump right into the door.

"Ouch," I whimper.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "I didn't think it would hurt."

We keep making out, and he gets his own key-card out from his back pocket. I'm not prepared for the door to open, so I fall backwards and drag Fred with me down. That hurt a lot more then being pushed into the door. "Oh, God, are you okay?" Fred gasps.

"Sure," I answer and kick the door closed with my foot. Then I drag him down over me and continue to kiss him. He seems to forget about his concern for me almost immediately, and removes his hands from my waist. We get up from the floor, and I stumble right into the dresser. This time I don't care that it hurts.

"Are you okay?" Fred continues to ask, me being all clumsy every single second he lets me go. I nod, and he puts his arms around me again, lifting me up from the floor. At first I'm afraid he's going to drop me, so I try to find something to hold on to that isn't Fred. He's forced to let me go, and puts me down on top of the dresser. As long as I don't fall down on the floor, I'm happy.

"Hey," I murmur, pushing him away. "Could we move to the bed? This is sort of uncomfortable."

"Yeah, of course," Fred says, kissing me one more time before he picks me up and carries me over to the bed. He falls down on me, making me loose my breath. He's really heavy!

"You're killing me," I smile at him, and he looks up.

"What? Oh, you want me to move?" he asks, pushing himself up from my body, using his forearms. "Is that better?"

"Sorry. I lost my breath," I explain, and Fred tilts his head again. He's really cute when he does that. "You have protection, right?" I'm embarrassed to ask, but I'm terrified by the thought of him not using any, so I have to force myself to ask.

"Of course," he exclaims. Then he moves away from me and pulls off my sweater. "Can I ask you something?"

I'm not really sure I'm in the right condition of answering questions right now. "What?"

"Am I hurting you?"

"No, you haven't even begun yet!" I point out, and then I feel humiliated. That was probably not what he meant.

"Uh, no, I meant from the fight yesterday?" he smiles, and I quickly avoid looking into his eyes. Fred looks at my bruised body, and I feel dumb. "I just thought your arms and legs were injured. Are you sure you want to do this?"

I roll my eyes. "Don't be stupid," I mutter. "I'm not dying."

"I'm not stupid," he says. "I'm just concerned."

He lies down on top of me with his whole weight, but I don't care any longer. Soon, I don't even feel the pain. I'm just happy to be in his arms, getting his attention like this. I move my hands over his back, gasping for air every once in a while. He keeps undressing me, with that look of concern in his eyes every time he finds a new bruise.

Fred always takes care of me when I need it. Whenever I have a hang over, he stays with me until I feel better. If I somehow get hurt, and believe me, that happens a lot, he pampers me until the pain is gone. Fred looks after me in every way, and he's the only one I really trust and feel safe with.

So, I love him. I just can't tell him that as often as he wants me to.

"Have you ever noticed how blue the ceiling is?" Fred asks me. I'm crawled up into his arms, my head against his shoulder. I look up.

"No. But it's a nice color," I mumble. He moves his hand over my arm, and I whine unintentionally. He lets me go and moves over to my other side, placing his arms around me again. I snuggle up next to him, moving as close to him as I can get.

We never did this the last time. We didn't have this moment. We were quiet for hours, feeling awkward and new to the situation. I like this better, when he's holding me like this, kissing me gently, being close to me.

"I like this," I admit, and Fred smiles.

"So, how was it?" he asks, kissing my forehead. "I don't mean how it felt, I mean... Did it it hurt again?" Fred always rants when he's nervous, but who doesn't? Sometimes he's the only one who truly understands me when I start babbling. I think about his question. He's a great guy, Fred. He would never hurt someone intentionally. I can't stop wondering why a guy like him would want to be with someone like me.

"No, not so much. Just to begin with. It was nice," I say. It was. It hurt a lot more the first time, even though I'd expected it to be worse.

"Just nice?" he teases me. "That's all I get? Nice?"

"It was great," I smile back. "I mean it, it really was."

Fred holds me even tighter in his arms, and I put one arm around his waist and the other one under his head. We stay like that for a long time, without saying anything. He keeps showering me with kisses every once in a while, from my lips, down over my collar bone and then he nuzzles his face into my neck, kissing both my neck and my shoulder.

I feel safe in his arms, maybe because he's so much taller then me. I'm even more tiny when I lie next to him like this, and I feel a lot smaller then I probably should. Helpless, somehow, but safe.

"Maybe we should get going?" Fred finally says, still not budging at all. I nod against his shoulder. "We have to go, right?"

"After what I did to Lex? We're forced to go, or Charlie will kill us off," I point out, hoping that he'll say something wise, so I can stay in his arms forever.

"I really don't feel like moving," he admits, moving his fingers across my back. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

I smile. He just read my mind. I hate it when he does that. It freaks me out. "Yeah, I know."

Suddenly we both get interrupted by someone knocking on our door. "Don't answer," Fred tells me and puts his head against my mine.

"No, I won't," I murmur.

The knocking continues, and Fred loses his temper. "What is it?" he asks.

"Oh, so you _are_ there?" Charlie says from outside. "We're looking for you. We're leaving in a couple hours, you wanna come down and get something to eat?"

"No, not really," Fred yells back, and I laugh quietly.

"What are you doing?" Charlie teases us.

"We're coming!" Fred shouts and rolls his eyes at me. I keep giggling, and I hear Charlie laugh, before walking away. "Man, he's annoying."

"We really should get going," I point out. "I'll go shower."

Fred nods and I'm just about to force myself away from him, when the phone starts ringing. "I can answer that," I offer, knowing how much Fred hates answering the phone. "You can go shower first if you want."

I throw myself at the phone, while Fred disappears into the bathroom. "Yeah, hello?" My Mom always tells me that it's rude to answer like that. Either you should answer with your name, or the number you're answering from. What can I say, I'm brought up bad.

There's a silence, and I'm just about to hang up. "Who is this?" someone asks. "I'm calling for Fredrik."

"Who?" I say stupidly, and then I remember that it's Fred's real name. "Oh, Fred?"

"Yes, may I speak to him? Who is this?"

"It's Cecilia. His girlfriend. He's in the shower right now, can he call you back?" I ask. Then I recognize the voice. It's his Dad.

"Cecilia?" he replies, sounding unfamiliar with my name. I'm not surprised, every time I speak to either of Fred's parents they call me by the wrong name. I'm either Alicia or Cornelia. Or, they don't remember me at all.

"Yeah, his girlfriend," I repeat.

"Yes, he somehow managed to get one of those, didn't he?"

"Can I take a message?" I ask, disregarding the insult. You don't fight with rich, powerful people.

"Just tell him that he only has four days left to get over here," his Dad mutters at me. "I don't want him running around down there, doing nothing."

"Okay, I'll tell him," I say, feeling weird. Where's Fred supposed to go? I hang up the phone, put on one of Fred's college sweaters, my pajamas pants and then I walk over to the bathroom door. "Fred?"

"Yeah?"

"It was for you. It was your Dad." Silence. "Can I come in?"

"Sure."

I open the door and look at Fred, who's brushing his teeth, wearing one of those hotel robes. "Where are you going?"

"To the show," he answers with a smile. "At least I thought that's where we were going."

"No, your Dad said that you're going away in four days. Why didn't you tell me?" I want to know. He looks away. "Fred?"

"Don't worry about it," he says to me, looking into the mirror. "I got it under control. I'm not going anywhere, trust me. You need the shower?"

I nod, still not satisfied with the answer I got. Fred seldom knows how to deal with the problems his father throws at him. He hands me a towel and walk towards the door. He's already showered; he's quick when he wants to be. "Is everything alright?" I ask, hoping that this won't make him ignore me again. Not after what just happened. I don't want this to ruin what we just shared.

"Yeah, of course," he smiles and kisses me on the cheek. "Go shower, Cecilia." He turns around before closing the door. "I love you."

I can't say it back, so I just nod again. I shower, while he's getting dressed. When I get out, he's rummaging around in my bag, looking for his cell phone. He never really knows where it is, even though I think he should be careful about such an expensive toy. I get dressed too, and we walk down to the restaurant together. Fred's mood is really good, despite the phone call. I wonder if it has got to do with me? He's all cheerful and upbeat. Wow.

Fred grabs my hand before we go in. "You're not having any regrets, are you?"

Besides from being in even more pain right now, no. "Of course not. I told you that I was fine with it."

"I know. It was amazing," he smiles back. "I love you."

"Yeah, I know. I... I love you too," I stutter. I managed to say it.

Fred grins at me, takes me by the hand and leads me towards the table the rest of them are sitting at.

***

****

Portman's POV (By NYgoldfish54)

Fred and Psycho disappeared for a while, but are back now. I can't imagine what they've been doing all this time...actually, I can, and now that I've started, I'm desperately trying to turn that part of my brain off. 

Anyway, they'd disappeared around 1:00 and it's 4:00 now. At around 3, Charlie went to go look for them. Charlie came back to tell us they'd be down soon and they've just appeared. 

Also around 1:00, Lex, Jeff, and their friends got very quiet, stayed very close together, and didn't really talk to anyone but each other. At 3 they got up and went inside, not speaking to anyone and didn't come back. It was only when Goldberg suggested they were having a gang bang at around 3:30 did Adam give a very horrified look and go search for them. He came back clutching a quickly scrawled note in Jeff's handwriting explaining where they were going.

__

Ducks-

We're heading over to set up our stuff and get ready. Dining Hall is serving you each a special dinner at 4:30. Robbie will be joining you on the bus over to the concert later. Our families will be with you in dining hall and on the bus behind yours, so please, please, PLEASE try to behave. We would have spoken to you, but since we're all on the verge of throwing up, we thought a note would be better. By the way, we hope you like rock and roll. This will be a rock and roll show.

Wish us luck,  
Suspended Motion

On the bottom of the note, each of them had signed their own name, starting with Jeff:

__

Jeff Delricci  
Anna Eukovich  
Matt McDougal  
Lex O'Leary  
Sammie Blackburn  
Chris Mitchell  
Anthony Nicholson

So we're all here, all on our own. Jeff begs us to be good, so I guess I'll have to resist temptation and not torture Psycho.

I spent the afternoon with Fulton by the pool. Once my hangover was gone, I had a good time. We could act more like a couple, now that we've "come out." I'm surprised the Ducks don't have anything to say. Someone _always_ has _something_ to say.

Fulton was right about the Ducks. I underestimated them. I was afraid of what they'd think. They seem pretty understanding. A little confused, maybe, but understanding all the same. I can't believe none of them are rabid homophobes. I figured there'd be at least one. But they're not. Lex, Jeff, and their friends don't seem to care. They don't even seem confused or surprised. I guess growing up in a big city has its effects...what the hell am I talking about? I grew up in Chicago. I know it's not uncommon to see alternate lifestyles there either. Personally, one of the Ducks could come out and admit they were gay and I'd probably feel the same way...unless it was Luis, cause the way he chases after girls, damn, he deserves an Academy Award for the straight performance. But I'd never think of him differently as a person. Just a good actor.

It's nice to know you've got friends like the ones Fulton and I have. This could have been miserable, but they're taking it rather lightly. They're still talking to us, not beating us up (hehehe, we'd kill them if they tried), and being the same goofy bunch they always were. When I first realized I was gay, I thought it was such bad luck and I was the unluckiest person ever. But now that I've got Fulton, and even the Ducks on my side, I realize I'm luckier than I thought.

"Where are Jeff and Lex and the rest of them?" Cee asks and sits down next to Luis. Averman reaches across the table and hands Cecilia the note. She reads it over and hands it to Fred, who slips into the chair next to her.

"I wonder what sort of meal has been prepared?" he asks.

"We're gonna find out soon," says Kenny. "It's 4:15."

Small talk continues and I continue daydreaming. I look past Adam, who's across from me, and I realize that our long table is running parallel to one even long that our about 15 feet away.

"Wonder who that table is for?" I say to Fulton on my right.

"Probably their families, right?" he says. "They have to eat too, ya know. I'm actually surprised we haven't seen them before now. I guess it'd be hard to avoid them, but we have."

"Lex probably set it up so we wouldn't run into them," says Guy, throwing himself into the conversation. "Probably didn't want them to see our bad manners and public brawls."

"The only one who's had a public brawl so far is Cecilia...and that was with Lex!" Julie pipes up. Cecilia gives a sort of apologetic grin.

Just then, a large group of people walked in, Robbie among them. He smiled and waved at us, then sat down next to a girl that looked around his age, and startlingly similar to Anna. Her older sister, maybe?

I don't have time to wonder much, because a huge bunch of covered trays roll out on the carts of the wait staff. A cute waiter with a nice butt (don't tell Fulton I said that!) puts my covered tray in front of me. One waiter stands by each of us and does the same thing. At exactly the same moment, they pull off the covers of each tray.

I stare down at my plate, and my absolute favorite meal is staring back at me. A porterhouse steak is sitting on the plate with mashed potatoes, garlic bread, sautéed peas, and...a rubber duck?

I look at Fulton's plate. He's got his absolute favorite meal on it. Two slices of pepperoni pizza, and a rubber duck. I look around the table. Everyone has their favorite meal on their plate, and a rubber duck. For a few seconds, nobody says anything. then Charlie's waiter hand him a note which he reads to himself, then smiles and reads out loud.

__

Dear Ducks,

Jeff and I are sitting here with our drinks, writing this because we can't join you for dinner...but if you're reading this, you already know that. Anyway, thanks so much for helping us feel at home in Minnesota when our home was so far away. We had so much fun playing music and going to Ducks games. Each of you should have your favorite meal in front of you, as well as a rubber duck with your name, date, and place underneath. Enjoy, and thanks so much for helping us get through freshman year. We lift our glasses to the Ducks. Cheers!

Love Always,  
Lex and Jeff

"How about that!?" Kenny exclaims. "We helped them!"

"More than we realize," I say, looking down at my steak again.

We started eating, and Charlie passed the note for us all to read. When it got to me, I noticed it was written in Lex's neat handwriting and not Jeff's rushed scrawl. They'd both signed their own names. It's like they're practicing for their autograph sessions.

"It's sweet of them to do this," Connie says through a mouthful of her Chinese food.

"Hey y'all, what do you think of me asking Sammie for a date?" Dwayne says suddenly. I notice a man look over from the other table. Probably Sammie's father.

Nobody else notices though. Everyone looks around for a moment, then starts yapping.

"Go for it, Dwayne!" Julie cheers.

"Are you sure?" asks Luis.

"She's pretty," Russ says approvingly.

Charlie is the only one not saying anything. He's staring at Lex and Jeff's note and mumbling to himself. I glance at Adam across the table and he seems to notice the same thing.

"Charlie, uh, anything wrong?" Adam asks.

"Stupid, stupid, what was I thinking? How'd I miss it..." Charlie murmurs.

"Charlie?" Adam looks alarmed.

"Oh...uh, what?" Charlie says.

"Anything wrong?" Adam asks again.

"No, why?"

"Well, you're mumbling and cursing yourself under your breath, and it's a little weird," I supply for Adam, who looks as though he's having trouble finding the right words.

"No, I'm fine, I was just thinking..." Charlie trails off, looking down at the note again.

"Looks like the captain's got a crush," I say, and Adam grins.

"Definitely looks that way," Adam agrees.

"Oh, shutup you two," Charlie says, but doesn't deny anything.

The meal draws to a close at around 5:15.

"Team!" Charlie says, his captain voice back now. "Let's get ready to go. Everyone be back here at 6:00 sharp!"

We all being our trek upstairs, clutching our full stomachs and our rubber ducks. I'm so full! That steak was so good!

Back in our room, Fulton and I shower...together, but nothing happened, I swear...and put on some nice, clean, but casual clothes. We head back downstairs to meet the rest of the Ducks down by the bus 45 minutes later. Robbie joins us, and at 6:05, we leave for where Jeff, Lex, and company are going to give their show.

***

****

Charlie's POV (By Cimmy)

While I'm standing in the hallway, waiting for Fred to finish up with whatever it is he's doing, I spot Lex over by the bathroom. She's leaning up against the wall, almost looking sick. I decide to go see if she's okay. When I get up to her, she quickly stands up straight and smiles weakly.

"Hi, Charlie," she says, trying to sound cheerful.

"Hi. Is everything alright? You don't look so good," I point out, placing my hand on her forehead. "No fever, though."

"No, I'm alright," she states, turning away from me. Then she doubles over and moans. At first I think it's because of the fight, and that she's also still in pain. Damn Cecilia, I'll yell at her for hours if that turns out to be the case, and Lex can't perform because of her.

I grab Lex's arm to keep her from falling. "I'm just really nervous," she admits, and her voice lacks of that usual witty tone. "Like, really, really nervous. We've never performed in front of this many people before. And there are critics and scouts here to watch us, and listen to us. Opening act for the Rolling Stones is on the line. What if I mess up and destroy this for everyone?" 

This I'm used to be taking care of. People feeling nervous and anxious because of what they should achieve, either out on the ice or in real life. So I should be able to handle this too, right?

"You know, it's easier to picture how many things that can go wrong, but you shouldn't think like that," I explain. "Instead of focusing of what you might screw up, focus on what you could achieve together, as a band. It's not your individual effort that will bring you all down. You trust the others, don't you?"

"Yes, of course! I trust them more then anyone else," Lex answers, giving me a puzzled look, as if she was confused how I could ask that question.

"So, why are you worrying? You'll all do your very best, and together, you can accomplish anything!" I smile at her. "There's nothing that can stop you, now when you've gotten this far." I laugh on the inside. These speeches always sound so corny, at least to me, but they seem to do the trick. 

Lex seems less nauseous now, and she shoots me a big, grateful smile. "Thank you, Charlie." I just nod back. She's really stressed out, and who can blame her? These last couple of days... Jeez, I'd be a nervous wreck. She takes a deep breath and tries to fight back the tears in her eyes. I feel so sorry for her.

"Do you want me to stay with you until the show begins?" I ask, putting my hand on her shoulder. "I'd be happy to." Who am I kidding? I'd be thrilled. Stupid Linda.

"No, I'm fine. I just need to calm down a bit and drink some water. I don't want the others to see me like this, I'd only make them upset. Until you showed up, I thought I was going to hurl."

"It's going to pass, I promise."

"Now I know why you're the captain. You make people's self-esteem rise when they need it. I'm glad you're here," Lex whispers, and her words make me so happy that I almost want to cheer. She gives me a hug and puts her head against my shoulder. Why is she doing this to me? When I know I can't have her? She wants Fred, not me.

"I'm glad you invited us," I reply. "We all really appreciate what you've done for us. We're honored to be here, watching this tonight." I clearly stay off the subject of Fred and Cecilia, even though I'm thinking it.

"Thank you," she sniffles and looks up at me. My impulses tell me to follow my feelings. But of course, I don't. I just rub her back to get her to calm down enough so she can return to the rest of the band members. But ya know what? To hell with logic, what's that going to help when I lie in my bed, feeling regretful about this very moment?

I put my hand on her chin to turn her face up to me. Then I kiss her. For a moment she doesn't do anything, and then she kisses me back. For a second, I feel the joy of my impulses beating out my logical behavior. That's never happened to me before.


	25. Between Concerts and Friends

hey everyone!  Cimmy and I have updated again! we've actually had these parts planned for a while and had to fill in a few gaps. read and review. by the way, this chapter is really long, so visit the bathroom before you start. 

disclaimer: Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Chris, Anthony, Matt, Anna, and Sammie belong to NYgoldfish54.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
**Chapter 25: Between Concerts and Friends  
By NYgoldfish54 and Cimmy**

**Chris's POV (By NYgoldfish54)**

I'm gonna pass out. I'm gonna pass out…no, first I'm gonna throw up…then I'm gonna pass out.

Or…maybe I'm not.

It's 5 minutes to show time. We're all backstage and nobody's talking. I can hear the crowd yelling and screaming outside. The place is packed.

Lex and Anna are sitting next to each other, looking at music, silently. Although, for whatever reason, Lex looks happier than she did before she left for the bathroom. Go figure.

Anyway, Anthony is sitting on a chair by a table, staring at the floor. Sammie looks like she'd rather be any place else, Jeff looks ill, and Matt is pretending to read. I can tell he's pretending, because his eyes aren't moving and the book is upside down.

And me? I'm just here, trying not to hyperventilate.

After the longest and shortest 5 minutes of my life, some guy with an expensive looking headset and a clipboard says, "Get ready, the curtain's going up in one minute."

"Then what?" Matt asks stupidly.

"Umm…you go on," says the man with the headset and clipboard, looking confusedly at Matt.

"What did you think, moron?" Sammie asks, smacking him in the back of his head as she picks up her guitar and gets into position. 

Matt looks as though he's going to puke if he opens his mouth, and doesn't say anything as he takes his place behind his drum set. We all take our places behind various mics and instruments.

I can hear the tail-end of a speech from somebody outside, talking to the audience.

"…ladies and gentlemen, we've got a real treat for you tonight. Seven teenagers, straight out of New York City, let's hear it for Suspended Motion!" 

We heard it, alright. The crowd is yelling and screaming. I can't figure out why. They haven't heard us yet. It's not like we're well known, and famous for giving a spectacular show.

The curtain goes up, dragging me out of my thoughts, and the lights are fucking bright. So fucking bright. Suddenly, I hear Lex talking to the now quieter crowd.

"Uh, hi everyone. As you already know, we're competing in this contest thing cause we love the music and we really, really hope that we can give you a good show tonight. Maybe we won't win the contest, or catch a big break. But maybe, just maybe, we'll free you from your problems for a few hours. When it comes down to it, we don't want you to remember us, we just don't want you to forget. So, on with the show," she says, shrugging at us, and nodding.

Ok, here we go. 'Start Me Up' by the Stones is our first song…no, wait! We changed that yesterday, at the last minute. We're opening up with 'Magical Mystery Tour' by the Beatles instead. Right. Ok.

And so, we begin. I'm playing my guitar and not even thinking about it.

I hear Anthony. "Roll up, roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour! Step right this way!"

Then Sammie, Matt, Anna, and Anthony start. Jeff and I don't sing in this song…right? Right. Not until the end, anyway.

"roll up   
roll up for the mystery tour   
roll up   
roll up for the mystery tour   
roll up (and that's an invitation)   
roll up for the mystery tour   
roll up (to make a reservation)   
roll up for the mystery tour"

Then, suddenly, Lex jumps in.

"the magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away  
waiting to take you away…"

I can hear Anna, Anthony, Matt, and Sammie again.

"roll up   
roll up for the mystery tour   
roll up   
roll up for the mystery tour   
roll up (we've got everything you need)   
roll up for the mystery tour   
roll up (satisfaction guaranteed)   
roll up for the mystery tour"

Lex's voice…

"the magical mystery tour is hoping to take you away  
hoping to take you away…"

The song continues, and I'm feeling better and better about the whole thing as it does.

"ah, the magical mystery tour  
roll up   
roll up for the mystery tour   
roll up   
roll up for the mystery tour   
roll up (and that's an invitation)   
roll up for the mystery tour   
roll up (to make a reservation)   
roll up for the mystery tour   
the magical mystery tour   
is coming to take you away   
coming to take you away   
the magical mystery tour   
is dying to take you away   
dying to take you away  
take you today…"

On 'take you today' we all sing, and then…the song's over. The crowd cheers, and all of a sudden, my nerves leave me. This isn't so bad. Lex is smiling, Jeff is smiling. Matt's looking relieved, as is Sammie. Anthony looks like he could cry. Anna's deep breathing, I can tell. And me? I feel so…relaxed, suddenly.

The show continues, the songs continue, and I don't remember much of it. It's all sort of a blur. I remember the crowd cheering particularly loudly for Matt when he sang 'Touch Me' by the Doors. But we all knew that's his best song anyway. 

I remember the way the guys in the audience were cat-calling and whistling when Anna, Sammie, and Lex did 'Edge of Seventeen' by Stevie Nicks. They wore these red leather outfits. That was their sex appeal for the night. They were incredible.

Oh, it's my turn to sing a song. Well, Matt, Anthony, and Jeff sing it with me, but I sing the main part. 'Killer Queen' by Queen. This song reminds me of Anna for some reason. I don't know why, but when I sing this song, I think of Anna.

"she keeps her Moet et Chandon  
in her pretty cabinet  
'let them eat cake' she says  
just like Marie Antoinette  
a built-in remedy  
for Khrushchev and Kennedy  
at anytime an invitation  
you can't decline

caviar and cigarettes  
well versed in etiquette  
extraordinarily nice

she's a Killer Queen  
gunpowder, gelatine  
dynamite with a laser beam  
guaranteed to blow your mind  
anytime  
ooh, recommended at the price  
insatiable an appetite  
wanna try ?

to avoid complications  
she never kept the same address  
in conversation  
she spoke just like a baroness  
met a man from China  
went down to Geisha Mynah  
(killer, killer, she's a Killer Queen)  
then again incidentally  
if you're that way inclined

perfume came naturally from Paris (naturally)  
for cars she couldn't care less  
fastidious and precise

she's a killer queen  
gunpowder, gelatine  
dynamite with a laser beam  
guaranteed to blow your mind  
anytime

drop of a hat she's as willing as  
playful as a pussy cat  
then momentarily out of action  
temporarily out of gas  
to absolutely drive you wild, wild..  
she's all out to get you

she's a killer queen  
gunpowder, gelatine  
dynamite with a laser beam  
guaranteed to blow your mind  
anytime  
ooh, recommended at the price  
insatiable an appetite  
wanna try?  
you wanna try..."  
After 'Be My Wife' by David Bowie, 'Changing of the Guard' by the Stone Coyotes, and some other songs, I check my watch. 11:00 PM. Jeez, this time really flew, huh?

The last song we do is up next. It's one of the ones the people telling us what we had to play classified as "non-traditional rock n' roll." In real life, it's classified more as "punk rock." It's Blink 182. Lex and Jeff sing lead. 

"shut the fuck up she said, I'm going fucking deaf   
you're always too loud, everything's too loud   
now that all my friends left, this place is fucking dead   
I wanna move out, when can we move out? This shit has got to stop

I'll run away 

give the fuck up, she said your life is meaningless   
it's going nowhere, you're going nowhere   
you're just a fuck up, she said I'll live alone instead   
she said you don't care, I know I don't care

I'll never ask permission from you,   
fuck off I'm not listening to you   
I'm not coming home, I'm never going to come back home

I'll run away

I got too fucked up again, and passed out on the bridge   
have to forget you, I can't forget you   
no sleep on this flight, I'll think about the nights   
we had to get through, how did we get through?

I'll never ask permission from you,   
fuck off I'm not listening to you   
I'm not coming home, I'm never going to come back home

I'll run away 

I think it's time that I should leave   
I think it's time that I should leave   
I think it's time that I should leave   
I think it's time that I should leave"

At this point, there's a short interlude where we play and there's no vocals. Lex closes out the show with these final words.

"Hey everyone, that just about wraps it up for Suspended Motion! You were a great audience! For Jeff Delricci, Anna Eukovich, Chris Mitchell, Matt McDougal, Anthony Nicholson, and Sammie Blackburn, I'm Lex O'Leary, have a great night everyone!"

Then, she and Jeff start with the vocals again.

"I'll never ask permission from you,   
fuck off I'm not listening to you   
I'm not coming home, I'm never going to come back home

I'll run away 

I think it's time for me to leave (I'll run away)  
I think it's time for me to leave (I'll run away)  
I think it's time for me to leave (I'll run away)  
I think it's time for me to leave."

The curtain falls, and we pull our stuff off stage. We get back into the dressing room and collapse on to the furniture. I didn't realize it until just now, but I'm so relieved. Hyper, but relieved. 

"I can't believe we just did that. I never thought we'd actually get it done," mumbled Anna, looking around. We all nod in agreement.

The Ducks come crashing into the room about thirty seconds after we do, yelling and screaming. They're not the only ones.

I can hear the crowd. They're yelling and hollering and screaming and clapping. I guess they liked us. I'm so relieved. We didn't mess up. We did ok. Maybe we weren't the best group ever, but we did alright. We're all 15 years old and we've come closer to the limelight than most people in their lifetimes do. Many people dream of becoming rock stars. We've come closer than many of them ever will. That's not too bad. In fact, it's-

"Hey Chris!" Jeff yells over the Ducks and snaps me out of my thoughts. "Let's go party!"

-pretty damn good. 

***  
**Fred's POV (By Cimmy)**

While I'm walking through the hallway, still searching for my girlfriend, I can't help but think about Lex. And Charlie. It hurts inside for some reason, whenever I picture them kiss. That image is burnt on my mind, ever since I saw them before the show. I went to find Charlie, and then I just stumbled right into the hallway where they were kissing. I've been trying to feel happy for them; woo-hoo, she's not alone and miserable anymore, but I'm just jealous right now.

To think, just a couple of moments ago, I was actually happy. This is why I don't trust that feeling. I always know that something is going to show up and ruin it, no matter how good a feeling it is.

There are lots of people running around backstage. I hope Cecilia's okay. There's a lot of drinking going on everywhere, and I just assume that there must be drugs going around too. To leave my thoughtless girlfriend here all alone will only result in disaster.

Lex doesn't love me. I don't know why I can't let that feeling go. Am I really this pathetic? I have a girlfriend whom I love, and I still feel envious because one of my closest friends doesn't declare her love for me.

"Hey, Fred!"

I turn around, and it surprises me when I see that it is Sammie who's shouting. Last time our roads crossed, she almost beat me senseless with a broom. Why does everyone have to be so violent?

"What's up?" I ask her. She stops dead, to avoid crashing into me. "Great show, Sammie. You were really outstanding."

She smiles happily, until she remembers it's me she's talking to. "Uh, yeah, thanks. I was just going to ask if you've seen my band? I'm lost."

"I think they're in that green hallway, where all the equipment is in storage," I tell her. "You haven't seen... my girlfriend, have you?" I better not mention Cecilia's name. Some people are still not all that happy with her. Sammie doesn't seem too upset by my question, and she announces that she thinks that Cecilia is right behind the stage somewhere.

I meet Julie when I hurry towards the stage. Jeff probably let her borrow his pass so she could meet some of the other bands in the VIP-room. Charlie also has a pass, Lex probably gave it to him. Like I care, ha! I managed to get in just by using my own skills. I wonder if Anthony has lent his pass to Cecilia? Maybe she's in the VIP-room too?

"Have you seen Cecilia?" I echo the same question as I've been asking ever since Lex and the others went off stage. Julie shakes her head, but suggests that I should look in the bathroom. Why do I always end up in the bathroom?

Although, she's not way off this time, the adorable Julie. I find Cecilia on the floor in one of the bathrooms, leaning her head against her knees. At first I think she's crying, but then I realize that she's drunk. At least that's what I expect.

I'm wrong, as usual.

"Cecilia? What are you doing here? Are you feeling bad?"

"No," she answers slowly. "I was feeling bad, but it's passed now." Okay, great, she's not drunk. She's completely stoned from Connie's, or Guy's, muscle-relaxers. Connie owes me big time for this.

"Why did you eat those?" I moan loudly and take the jar away from her. "I thought you weren't going to use them!"

"Do you know how much pain I was in?" she mumbles back. "I thought I was going to die! And now I can't feel any pain at all!"

My God, she's thick sometimes. "That's the whole concept of pain-killers!" I shout.

"It's not pain-killers, it's muscle-relaxers," she points out, talking so slow that her words almost doesn't make sense in my head. I lean down and pick her up in my arms, and she doesn't struggle at all. Not until I've carried her through five hallways, she starts to twist and turn, so I let her down.

"Where are we going?" she asks, leaning against me to keep from falling. I think I'm mostly carrying her on my own, since she's so reluctant to use her feet. Suddenly I hear angry voices from one of the rooms on our right. At first I decide to just get the hell away from there as fast as possible, but then I recognize one of the voices.

"No, it's not like that, and I would appreciate if you stayed away from me!"

It's Sammie, and she sounds upset. I look around for a guard or any of our friends. Cecilia looks up when I stop. "Is that Sammie?" she asks worriedly. I nod and tries to let go of her, but she tumbles into me again. I can't leave her like this, but Sammie obviously needs help. Where's Matt when you finally need him?

I knock on the door, but no one answers. Instead of waiting for an invitation, I shove the door open and go in. It's one of those big VIP-rooms, and there are five or six guys in there, three of them surrounding Sammie. "Hey!" I yell. Cecilia jumps at my scream, but I can't help it. Even though Sammie might not be such a close friend of mine, I can't let them do this to her.

"Who are you?" one of the guys asks me, taking a menacingly step towards us. I quickly move up in front of Cecilia, and wave at Sammie. "Come on, Sammie, let's go!" She seems happy that I'm there, although the other guys are not...

"She's not going anywhere. Do you know this guy?" this big, intimidating guy asks Sammie. She folds her arms and nods. "Doesn't matter, you're staying. You, on the other hand, must leave."

He pushes me out in the hallway, and now I'm angry. Sammie keeps objecting from the room, and I'm beginning to panic. Cecilia pulls my arm, looking scared. "Fred, do something!" she exhorts worriedly. What do I do now? I drag Cecilia over towards a chair, but before I have time to tell her to stay there and not move, Sammie screams from inside the room. I let go of Cecilia, and she looses her balance and falls over with a crash. Never mind, she's not my highest priority right now, she'll survive.

I try to push the door open, but it's locked. If Connie was here, she probably could've picked the lock open. She's scary like that. But she's not anywhere near, and I thank God for that. I don't need more girls to look after. Finally I decide to kick the door open, even though I know that plan rarely works. I've tried it too many times whenever Cecilia's locked herself into a room of some sort, refusing to come out.

I'm beginning to see Matt's point, because I feel an urge to really hit something right now. So I let the door handle my rage. It doesn't open anyway, at least not because of my kicking. Someone opens it from inside, and I tumble in. Sammie's there, looking ready to attack, and I quickly head over to help her.

"Fred!" she exclaims when she sees me. "Help me!"

I nod, feeling the fear grow stronger. I can't handle this. But I have to help her when I know that she's in danger. So I take her hand and try to lead her out of the room, without getting too much attention.

God, do my plans suck. One of the guys step in front of me, and I push Sammie towards the door. "Go!" I tell her, but she refuses to move. Maybe it's because she's scared, or because she doesn't want to leave without me. Either way, it's a stupid move.

This guy in front of me grabs my arm and shoves me back into a table. It hurts, but I still manage to get up again. I know I have to defend myself, otherwise I'll be killed in some unpleasant way. I remember all those times my Dad slapped me around, and I refused to hit back just to prove that I was better then him. I've never hit anyone outside the ice. It'd be a lot easier if I had my hockey gear on right now, with the pads and my stick as help. I'll write a tribute to my helmet, once we get back home.

There's no time to ponder, because this time the guy punches me right in the face. Why does everything have to hurt so bad!?

"Fred! Oh my God! Are you okay?" Sammie shouts and rushes up to me. She grabs my arm to help me up again, and I feel a bit light-headed. This can't be healthy.

Sammie's shouting has made other people react, and suddenly Charlie comes bursting in to the room. My first thought is, of course, 'you bastard, you kissed Lex'. Hi, my name is Fred, and I have issues.

"Fred? Sammie? What's going on?" Charlie wants to know. Then he realizes what all the screaming is about, and he looks terrified. "Let's go!"

Yes, I'm trying, but I never seem to get there. Instead I watch how that idiotic guy grabs Sammie and shoves her into the wall. This time I can't take it anymore. I throw myself over him, and we both fall. I tell Charlie to get Sammie away from there, and he does as told. Now, what's going to happen to me?

Not much. I receive another punch, so I decide that sticking around for better times isn't an option. I move towards the door, and run right into Matt, Anthony and Jeff. Yeah, now they show up! I don't have time to explain myself, instead I look around for Sammie and Charlie. They're gone.

And damn! So is Cecilia!

Matt grabs my arm. "What the hell is going on? Why are you bleeding?" I haven't even realized that yet, so I decide to worry about that later. Instead I search the hallway in panic.

"Where's Cecilia?" I ask Anthony. I figure he of all people should know that, but he shrugs. No, this can't be happening! "Where's Sammie?" I continue my questioning, and this time they all react.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with Sammie?" Matt demands to know. I open my mouth to answer when I hear her voice from down the hallway.

"Fred! Fred, there you are!" she runs up to me and throws her arms around my neck, and I almost fall over. Good thing Jeff and Anthony support me, otherwise I'd be dead by now. Okay, maybe not.

Sammie starts to cry violently, and Matt looks at me. "What happened!?" he bellows, but I'm too shaken up to answer. Instead I wave at Charlie.

"She's gone!" I exclaim. Charlie opens his mouth, probably to ask who I'm referring to, but I answer before he asks. "Cecilia is missing!"

"Where was she the last time you saw her? Maybe she went to get some food or something," Charlie tries to sooth. I'm not in that kind of mood right now, so I hand Sammie over to Matt, and run back to the other hallway. I run right into Connie and Guy, and they both stare at me for a second.

"What have you been up to? Another fight with Cecilia?" Guy asks me, and Connie slaps his arm. "No, seriously, what happened?"

"Cecilia is missing!" I howl. "They tried to hurt Sammie, and I just left her in the hallway!"

"Sammie?" Connie asks.

"No, Cecilia!" I scream, and I don't think I've ever been this upset in my entire life.

More Ducks show up, and among them is Portman. "What are you yapping about?" he mutters. "Psycho? I saw her out on the parking lot two minutes ago."

My brain isn't really following, and I begin to panic even more. "She's still missing!" I scream, starting to jump up and down. "You gotta help me!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Guy replies, sighing. "Calm down!"

That request is not something that my brain is willing to process. I continue to freak out, pulling Charlie's arm violently. I'm shaking and gasping for air. "Help me find her!"

"I told you where she was," Portman rolls his eyes, but I somehow manage to disregard that. I try to get my words together, but it all comes out as incoherent sobbing.

"For God's sake, make him calm down!" Guy whines. "He's annoying when he's like this. Make him stop!"

Portman sighs deeply. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he mutters and walks over to me. I hope he's not going to punch me. I've had enough of that for today. But no, he doesn't punch me. He grabs my face and gives me a kiss, and this definitely makes me shut up. "Things you do for the team, man."

For a second, there's a complete silence, which doesn't happen very often when the whole team is present. Then Guy snorts out a laugh, making Connie giggle too. "Way to handle the situation, Portman," Fulton says, shaking his head. I just stand there for a moment, trying to get my act together again. What was I doing? Oh, yeah, Cecilia...

"So, where is she then?" I ask, distracted, confused and somewhat surprised.

"Psycho's out on the parking lot," Portman explains slowly. "Do I have to spell it out for you, or should I just kiss you again?"

"No, I'm fine," I say, giving him a suspicious look. Anyway... Cecilia is out on the parking lot. Wow, I didn't know relief could feel this good. Although, it doesn't last long. Matt comes running and pulls me back. Oh, right, I never explained myself to him.

"What did you do to Sammie?" he yells at me, and now I'm startled. Why is this guy out to get me? Sammie pushes herself in between us, taking my side.

"He helped me!" she explains. "Those guys tried to... I don't know... And Fred was the only one there to save me! He went up against those guys all on his own, right Charlie?"

Everyone turns to look at Charlie, and he nods. "Yeah, he did. You should thank him, Matt. Otherwise Sammie could've been badly hurt."

Matt still seems like he's going to hit me, so I hide behind Sammie. "Matt! Quit being a jerk for five seconds and listen to me!" Sammie says, putting her hands against his shoulders.

I decide to let them work things out on their own, while I'm being hysterical on the parking lot. Connie calls my name, and I know that she's following me. That means that the rest of them are too. I head outside, and find Cecilia sitting on the ground next to the sidewalk. Thank you, God.

I run over and throw myself down next to her on the ground. "Are you okay?" I ask her. She's still spaced out, but she grabs my arm to tell me something.

"They took her," she murmurs. "Lex is gone."

"What?" I snap. This is not the time for jokes. "Of course she's not missing! Don't be ridiculous."

I grab her by the waist to get her up on her feet, but she's just a lump right now. Matt comes bursting out to us, and I let go of Cecilia in pure surprise. Once again she falls down with a thud. Oops.

Matt just stands there and looks at me, as though he's been stunned. "You really helped Sammie?" he asks me, and somehow, his voice isn't so angry.

"Yeah," I say, somewhat annoyed.

"Oh," he says. Then he just sort of shuts up, until Jeff hits him in the back of the head, two seconds later.

"What?" Matt asks, looking at Jeff.

"I dunno, maybe you could apologize?" Jeff says. "He wouldn't hurt Sammie, Matt, he wouldn't." This look comes over Matt's face, and I'm strongly reminded of someone who's being wheeled away in a strait-jacket to the mental ward, then his expression clears.

"Alright. Alright. I give up. If you really saved her, Fred, then I'm sorry."

I smile happily, feeling like an ass for letting something so trivial lighten up my life. Then I remember that Cecilia is still on the ground. She's been pushed around a lot today. Good for her she's already on pain-killers. Oh, sorry, muscle-relaxers.

"Where's Lex?" I suddenly ask, reminding myself of what Cecilia had been ranting about earlier. "She's here, right?"

"She went to load our stuff into the bus," Jeff replies. "She should be out here on the parking lot somewhere."

"They took her!" Cecilia shouts, crawling back up. "I'm not making it up, she was here, and they took the bus and she followed them, and then they just took her with them!"

"Who?" Jeff asks, irritated because she speaks so incomprehensible.

"Those guys, Fred, from the room. I recognized them, because they asked about you and Sammie. Maybe they knew what band Sammie's in. Anyway, when Lex told them that she didn't know Sammie, they told her to go find her, while they were guarding the bus."

"Lex would never fall for something like that!" Jeff howls. "I don't believe you!"

"Well, she didn't! She told them that if they didn't leave, she was going to get the guards."

"Did they hurt her?" I want to know, feeling hysterical again. "We have to go get her. Does anyone have a car?"

Matt and Jeff stares at me like I'm from outer space. "We're 15 years old! Who's got a car when they're 15?" Matt yells, all mad at me again. It was just a question! "None of us can drive anyway."

"Well, some of us can, but no one has a license!" Jeff points out and grabs Cecilia's sweater to pull her closer. "You better be wrong about this."

It's up to me now. I have to solve this, it's all my fault. Plus, the others have been drinking, and all I've tasted was that yucky drink of Connie's, hours ago. I run over to the car closest to us. It's locked, of course, but I decide to do something really out of character. I knock my elbow against the window the hardest I can, and it brakes. And, shit! That hurt!

"Fred, are you out of your mind?" Portman laughs from behind. "Are you going to steal that car?"

I nod. "Yes, I am. Why?"

"No reason. Can you even drive?"

"Of course," I say and open the door, thanking everything in sight that the car didn't have an alarm. "I have to do this."

"Why?" he exclaims.

"Because I was a jerk to Lex, and if I save her, I can repair some of the damages," I explain. The rest of the team comes rushing, and Cecilia falls into my arms again. I have to bring her along; who knows where she could end up otherwise.

"Don't go," Connie begs. "Let's just call the police instead."

"Are you crazy? Lex could be halfway to Mexico by then!" Matt shouts. "Give me the keys, I'll drive."

"You can't drive," Sammie points out. "Let's just be reasonable, guys."

I have no time for that. I shove Cecilia into the car, and look at the others. "I'm going, and if anyone wants to tag along, I suggest you get into the damn car!" Matt grabs Anthony by the arm and drags him along.

"I'll go," Jeff says quickly, and opens the door to the backseat. I get into the driver's seat and realize that I have no keys. This is what you have your girlfriend for, right?

I shove at Cecilia, who's almost passed out by now. "Cecilia, you have to do that thing, to start the car." Her grandfather used to be a mechanic, and she knows how to bypass the ignition switch. God, I love her.

I back out of the area and make a U-turn out on the road. There's not many cars out, yay. Jeff pulls Cecilia into the backseat, so he's able to climb up front. Then he points at a sign. "There's a speed limit!"

"So? I can afford to pay for a ticket," I growl and turn into one of the larger streets. Cecilia falls down on the floor, and Matt and Anthony try to help her back up.

"What's wrong with her?" Matt asks.

"I'm fine," Cecilia says, climbing up on the middle seat.

"You're stoned," Matt points out. "My God, you are SO amusing!"

"Hello! We have a real problem here!" Jeff bellows. "Where's the bus?"

I make another U-turn, and this makes Cecilia fall again. I sigh when I look in the rear-view mirror. "Anthony, could you please remove my girlfriend's head from your lap?" I beg, while he's trying to get her face away from his crotch. That's another mental image I'm just going to have to live with forever. Great.

When we pass one of the gas-stations, Cecilia finally comes to life again. "There's the bus!" she says, hitting Anthony's arm. "Isn't it?"

It's a bus, yeah. Not the right bus, though. I'm beginning to think that I'm out of my mind, listening to Cecilia when she's on pain-killers. I decide to turn back, and I'm just about to turn back into the parking lot again, when Cecilia yells once more. "Now I_ know_ it's the right bus!"

I'm really close to strangle her, when I realize that she's right. The bus is parked right outside the approach. We all jump out of the car to see if we can find Lex. Cecilia is still back at the car, slowly sinking down on the grass. I'm sending her to a clinic when we get back home. Sheesh.

"She's not here!" Jeff cries out, banging his head against the bus. "Where is she?" We all begin to panic again, thinking up the worst scenarios possible for poor Lex to end up in.

"What are you guys doing?" Lex's voice comes from behind. We slowly turn around to see if it's really her. It is.

"Lex!" Jeff exclaims and runs over to give her a violent hug. "Where have you been? What happened?"

"What? I decided to move the bus," she says and shrugs, handing me the keys. "I suck at driving buses. I think I dented this one. You can drive them from now on."

We all just stare at her, then we go over to squeeze her to death. She objects loudly. "What's up with you?"

"We thought you'd been kidnapped!" Matt laughs, picking her up into his arms. "Cecilia said that you went into a fight with some guys and that they stole the bus and took you with them."

Lex starts howling with laughter, almost falling down on the ground. "No! They only asked if I knew Sammie, and when they wouldn't leave, I threatened to go tell the guards! Then I decided to move the bus, in case they came back, so I did." She looks at me and her laughter dies. "You were worried about me?"

"Of course!" I reply. "You're one of my best friends, I can't let you go and get kidnapped just like that, can I?"

Lex smiles at me, looking like she's going to cry. "Thank you, Fred." She goes over to hug me, and for once, it doesn't feel weird. I'm just glad that we're okay again.

Matt, Anthony, and Jeff continue with hugging Lex, after we've parted, and I start to miss my girlfriend. Then I realize something. I rather be with her, then with Lex right now. Is this a breakthrough?

"I can't believe you thought I was kidnapped," Lex giggles, making me snap out of my thoughts.

Okay, the fun is over. "I'm going to kill Cecilia," I mutter and look at my passed out girlfriend. "She really scared us with the kidnapping story."

"At least we got an adventure out of it," Jeff smiles, probably just happy that Lex is back. "I don't know why we trusted her in the first place. She's so high that it's scary."

This makes it official. This headache I have right now can only be caused by Cecilia.

We bring Lex with us back to the others, and they seem relieved and shaken up about that whole thing. I don't even care that Charlie is probably hugging her too tight and too long, I'm just glad I'm alive.

I go over to see if my girlfriend is okay. She looks up when I approach her. "So, are you happy now? You made us panic over Lex," I say and sit down next to her on the grass.

"I didn't mean to, I was so sure that the bus was gone because they'd taken it!" she answers, avoiding my eyes. I put my arm around her shoulder and pull her closer.

"Well, I'm still sending you to Betty Ford when we get home," I say, kissing her forehead.

"That's expensive," she points out.

"Don't worry, I'll pay for it," I smile.

Cecilia leans against my chest and sighs. "So, when does the killing begin?" she wonders, I guess she overheard our conversation earlier.

"Don't worry, the night is still young," I laugh, looking at my watch. Did that whole insanity ride only take fifteen minutes? Felt like an eternity. It's only 11:45, and the people that I haven't been able to startle to death are probably planning on staying up at least another five hours.

I also realize that I'm going to have to pay for that broken window. I hope they don't sue me or anything, I'll gladly pay up for a brand new car if the owner wants it. This vacation has already cost me thousands of dollars, thanks to Lex and Cecilia crashing one of the expensive glass ornaments in the restaurant.

"Did you save Sammie?"

"Yeah, I guess I did," I reply, rather proud that I achieved something like that.

"Are you mad?"

"Not at all," I smile at her. "I'm going to get us a cab or something, so we can go home. You're really not the most normal human being right now."

"Ha," she snorts. I stand up and pick her up in my arms again. Then we head inside. If I can manage to keep her alive, maybe we can stay for a while longer. The show must go on, since it was never over to begin with. 

God, I could really use some of those muscle-relaxers right now.

***

_*Fred's POV continued* _(By NYgoldfish54) 

I am leaning against the wall across the hall from my door. Lex is in there, tending to Cecilia. From the muscle-relaxing pills, Cecilia was only semi-conscious when we got back to the hotel. The others are still downstairs partying and dancing. Good for them. I want to know how Cecilia is. Lex had taken Cecilia upstairs while I had cleaned up in the bathroom downstairs. Blood really isn't all that attractive. Matt followed us upstairs and disappeared into his room, and I haven't seen him since. 

The door to my room opens, and Lex steps out. 

"How is she?" I say standing up straight immediately, and walking over as Lex closes the door. 

"Well, she feels kind of nauseous, but I put on her pajamas and got her into bed. I left a garbage can by the bed so she doesn't even have to move is she hurls, and then she fell asleep. She's gonna be sleeping for hours, so leave her alone. But other than that, she'll probably be fine." 

I heave a sigh of relief and look at Lex for a moment. 

"Thanks," I say, sounding stupid. 

"Forget about it. I'm gonna go find Anthony and console him," she says. She turns to go. 

"Lex, wait," I call and she stops and turns around. She's been good to me. She deserves more than a brush off. 

"What?" she asks, looking intently at me. 

"Listen, Lex, I'm really sorry for all the trouble and pain I caused you this week. I flirted with you and led you on, and then I chose Cecilia, and I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm really sorry, and I understand if you never want to be friends ever again-" 

"What?" she cuts me off. "I was stupid Fred! It was dumb of me. I knew you loved Cee. I actually kind of saw your rejection coming. I guess rejection just hurts, even if you're expecting it. And of course I still want to be friends with you! Who told you I didn't?" 

"Well, nobody, I just sort of figured…" 

"Don't figure, Fred. You come up with too many wrong conclusions." 

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't," I say, feeling somewhat stupid. 

"Fred, of course I want to be friends with you," she says.  "I just can't believe you and Cecilia stole and hotwired a car for me. Thanks for that. Even though I wasn't in any danger, it was a nice gesture." 

"Well, what did you think I was going to do? I couldn't just leave you, could I? You're one of my best friends." 

"One of your best friends? Since when?" 

"Since you came into my life and gave a damn. Listen, I love Cecilia very much, but she's stubborn, hard to talk to, occasionally violent-" Lex smirks here, but I continue, "-and not always the easiest person to get along with. But you're different. You just came and took care of me. I'm usually the one doing the caring. You listened to me when I talked and you took me seriously and you helped me save a relationship that was going down in flames. You gave a damn, Lex. I wasn't used to that…and I liked it. I like you. If Cecilia and I didn't work out, some time in the future, you'd be the next person I'd be willing to give it a try with. But for now, you're one of my closest friends. I guess I should thank you for that. So thanks," I finish breathlessly. 

She smiles and takes a minute to process what I said. "You're welcome. I want to be friends with you too, Fred. I love you," she says finally. 

The look on my face must have urged her to keep talking. I'm pretty sure I'm looking at her as if she has three heads. She loves me? What? 

"No, no! Not like that!" she exclaims, even though that's not what I'm thinking about. "Listen, I love you, and you love me. We're just not_ in love with each other. We love each other, we're just not in love." _

"Huh?" I ask, totally lost now. 

"You don't get it?" she asks me. 

"Nope," I say. This is probably something really simple and I don't get it. Now she probably thinks I'm stupid. 

"It's ok," she says. "It's a tricky concept, really. It's the difference between loving someone and being in love with them. I'm just beginning to understand it myself. The best I can explain it is like this: it's the difference between how you feel about Cecilia and how you feel about me." 

I must still look puzzled, because she smiles and says, "Don't worry; you'll understand it someday, Fred. You're a little slow, but you understand everything eventually." I guess I have to take her word for it. She's not usually wrong about these things. 

"It's not really what I was thinking about anyway," I tell her.

"What?"

"You loving me like that. It's just...well, nobody besides Cecilia has ever told me that. Not my parents, family, or friends. That's why I'm so eager for Cecilia to say it all the time. Nobody ever tells me that."

She looks nothing short of horrified. "That's...that's...that's terrible!" she stutters, looking as though this is some kind of horrible crime.

"What's terrible?"

"Your parents never tell you they love you?"

"Nope. I'm sort of the family failure. Everyone hates me."

"Fred, don't say that. Not everyone hates you. I don't anyway. And I'm the family failure too...well, my father's failure, really," she smiles sadly at me.

"What? How is that possible?" I ask. Lex O'Leary, family failure? That just doesn't make sense.

"I don't get it either. My father beats me. He just does. He also drinks a lot. He beats up Robbie sometimes too, but not like me. Robbie's bigger than me, he can get away easier. My mom's good to me, but she can't really leave. The twins are little. She works a ton, a complete and total ton. I hardly ever see her. She makes a lot of money, but she doesn't have time to do much else. She knows about my dad and me, but she doesn't do anything. She doesn't leave. She doesn't stick up for me, she can't. I think she loves my father cause she's got nowhere else to go. She tells me she loves me though. My brothers and sisters tell me they love me. Jeff tells me he loves me. Fred, it's absolutely, flat out inexcusable that nobody ever tells you that." 

"It's not that bad," I mutter.

"Yes it is, Fred. You grow up thinking nobody loves you? That's just not fair, Fred."

"Well, what can I do about that?" I snap for some reason, but I'm not sure what the reason is.

She doesn't seem to care that I snapped. She stands on her tiptoes, leans me against the wall, and wraps her arms around my neck, murmuring in my ear "I love you, Fred. I love you, I love you, I love you. Cecilia loves you. Jeff loves you. The Ducks love you. Don't you ever forget that, Fred. There are people out there who love you, don't you forget it."

That means so much to me. So much I start crying silently into her shoulder. She doesn't say anything, she just lets me stand there, crying quietly. I feel like such an idiot for crying, but she doesn't say anything. I owe her big for this.

We stand together like that for some time. After who knows how long, she whispers, "I love you, Fred," one more time, and turns to go.

"Lex, wait," I call out. Damn, I just suck at letting her leave, don't I? 

"What now?" she asks. 

"Does Matt still hate me?" I can't help but ask. 

"Matt? Matt McDougal? No, I don't think so." 

"He seemed so mad before." 

"He was mad. You made me cry. There are laws against that in Matt-land. It's punishable by everything just short of death…but he's a good guy. He's got a good heart, but he's a jerk sometimes. He doesn't mean it. He just talks before he thinks…sort of like you," she says, smiling. "You can't take everything he says to heart, not when he's mad. He gets to this point where he seems like he's beyond reason, but he's not really." 

"He wanted to hit me," I say, thinking back on it. "He said he would have, but didn't because Sammie and Anna held him back." 

"Yeah, he did want to hit you, didn't he?" Lex says, laughing. "Don't worry about him. Let him unwind. He's a good guy, Fred, he just doesn't like to show it. Give him another chance. He'll give you one, trust me. You've earned it." 

"I guess I will, I mean, you like him, so he couldn't be that bad, right?" I say, returning her smile. We stand silent for a few moments. 

"Hey! There's a party still going on downstairs, and we're missing it! Let's go!" she exclaims finally. 

"Nah, I think I'll stay up here and wait for the aspirin to kick in, and then probably go to sleep," I say. 

"Don't stay up here and mope, Fred, it's unhealthy, all the moping you do. Come down and hang out with us for a while," she says, begging me with her eyes. 

For some reason I'm reminded of that line from 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' by the Beatles. 'Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly, a girl with kaleidoscope eyes.' 

"Alright, fine. I'll be down in a few minutes. Let me change my shirt though, ok?" 

"Alright." 

"Thanks," I say, and she turns to leave. "Lex, wait," damn, she gonna kill me if I keep doing that. 

"What is it now, Fred!?" she says rather loudly. 

"It was a great show tonight. You were incredible. I'd be surprised if you didn't win." 

She smiles gratefully and says, "Thanks Fred." 

She turns to go, then she stops and turns around again. 

"What?" I ask her. 

"Well, every time I go to walk away you say 'Lex, wait' so I figured I might save you the trouble." 

"Go," I tell her, smiling at her logic. "I'll be down in a few minutes." 

"Hey Lex, wait!" I call out.

"What do you want!?" she yells.

"I love you, too."

"I'll save you a dance, Fred," she says, shaking her head, and then I watch her turn the corner. 

I'm just about to go into my room to change my shirt when I hear a voice from behind me. 

"One of a kind, isn't she?" 

I turn around to look who the voice belongs to. It's Matt. I'm a little surprised, as it doesn't really sound like him. 

"Yeah, she is," I say to him. 

"She's pretty special. And she was right about you, ya know. You're really not such a jerk, Fred," he says. Damn! Why does he sound so different? 

"Why are you here?" I ask him. 

"I came to apologize, actually. Lex is right about me too, ya know. I'm a jerk sometimes, but I'll give you another chance," he says. Oh! That's it! His voice is lacking those angry and bitter tones that it usually has when it's talking to me. 

"You overheard all that?" I ask him. 

"Yes. I opened the door and heard you both talking, so I decided to eavesdrop." 

"That's nice," I say sarcastically. 

"Yeah, but that's not why I'm here. I told you, I'm here to apologize." 

"So get on with it so I can go downstairs and have some fun," I say. 

"Ok. Fred, when I first met you, I didn't like you. I thought you were a jerk who was only out for himself, who made Lex cry, who caused everyone trouble. But after what you did tonight, for Sammie and for Lex, you proved me wrong. I don't want to hit you anymore. I'm sorry I was a jerk and accused you like I did. I'm sorry I prejudged about your childhood. I'm sorry I was so wrong. You're not a bad guy, Fred, and can you tell I rehearsed this before I said it?" he says. He's wearing this sort of goofy smile, and I wonder if that's how he looks when he's not being the band's resident tough guy. 

"That's ok, and I can only tell a little," I say, smiling. "I guess tensions were running a little high this week. I apologized to Lex. I'm sorry for making her cry. I'm sorry I was such a jerk." 

He says 'forget about it,' but it sounds like 'fuged aboud it.' I guess that's his New York City accent creeping in. 

"So," he continues, "what do you say? I'll give you another chance, and you give me another chance?" He holds out his hand for me to shake. 

"Sounds like a good deal," I say, taking his hand. 

"Go change your shirt, I'll wait for you," he says to me. 

I change my shirt and Matt and I head back downstairs. 

"So what about it?" comes Jeff's voice. "How are you two getting along now?" 

"We're giving each other another chance," Matt says, grinning. 

"Good, that'll save us all some headaches," says Sammie. "I wanted to thank you, Fred." 

"No problem, it's what any one of your friends would have done," I answer her. She smiles at me, and falls into Matt's arms. 

I look around. Portman and Fulton are dancing so exuberantly that people are backing away in fear injury. Anna is dancing with Averman, and Julie is standing next to Jeff, who's right near us. Adam and Goldberg are trying to 'twist' but it looks more like they're in extreme pain. Russ and Kenny are doing what looks like some form of the chicken dance and laughing hysterically. Connie is dancing with Guy. Chris is talking with Anthony. They come over to join us. 

"So?" says Anthony. "What's up, Matt?" 

"We're all clear," says Matt. 

I realize I'd probably better say something to Anthony. I open my mouth. "Anthony, listen, I-" 

"Let's not talk about it now, Fred. It's been too good a night. We'll worry about it later," he says, giving me a weak 'I-don't-really-care' sort of smile. It's not really convincing, but he's right, I don't really want to talk about it now either. 

"I guess I'd better give you another chance too?" Chris says, smiling, and I shake the hand he puts out for me. 

Lex comes over, and she's dragging Charlie along. He's smiling at her, and I haven't seen him smiling like that in a long time. 

"Good news, Lex, we're friends," I tell her, indicating Matt and me. 

"You're jerks, both of you. But I'm glad you're friends now…or at least, not ready to kill each other…I believe I owe you a dance, Fred?" 

"Yeah, but if you don't want to I'm not holding you to it," I say. 

"Of course I want to! Charlie, you don't mind?" 

"Nah, have a good time," he says. 

She runs over to the DJ, says something, and runs back. 

'A Little Help From My Friends' by the Beatles comes on. I'm glad. It's just a Beatles kind of night. 

I take Lex's hands and I lead her around the dance floor. 

"what would you think if I sang out of tune   
would you stand up and walk out on me?   
lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song   
and I'll try not to sing out of key. 

oh, I get by with a little help from my friends  
mm, I get high with a little help from my friends  
mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

what do I do when my love is away   
does it worry you to be alone?   
how do I feel by the end of the day,  
are you sad because you're on your own?

no, I get by with a little help from my friends  
mm, I get high with a little help from my friends   
mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends 

do you need anybody   
I need somebody to love   
could it be anybody   
I want somebody to love

would you believe in a love at first sight   
yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time   
what do you see when you turn out the light   
I can't tell you but I know it's mine

oh, I get by with a little help from my friends   
mm, I get high with a little help from my friends   
mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

do you need anybody   
I just need someone to love   
could it be anybody   
I want somebody to love

oh, I get by with a little help from my friends   
with a little help from my friends" 

Toward the end of the song, we're both laughing at Adam and Goldberg, who are now being told off by a very angry looking woman who they apparently knocked over. 

I forget my troubles for a while, and when the song ends and Lex goes to find Charlie, I'm left all alone. But not for long, because Sammie comes over and asks me if I want to dance when the next song, 'Good Vibrations' by C+C Music Factory comes on. 

"Thanks for saving me tonight, Fred. I really, really appreciate your helping me, even though I wasn't really happy with you the last few days." 

"It's not a problem," I tell her. 

"I'm glad you and Matt are getting along. Lex is right about you, Fred. You're really not bad." 

"Neither are you, Sammie, neither are you." 

Russ and Kenny are now being yelled at by the same angry woman who was yelling at Goldberg and Adam before. I laugh, and then sigh a bit. 

If this is a show, it's really not a bad one. 

"Guy! Ouch! Don't step on my feet!" Connie shrieks. 

Oh boy. The show goes on.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

we mentioned and borrowed lyrics and song titles from the following bands:

'Start Me Up'-Rolling Stones  
'Magical Mystery Tour'-Beatles  
'Touch Me'- The Doors  
'Edge of Seventeen'-Stevie Nicks   
'Killer Queen'-Queen  
'Be My Wife'-David Bowie   
'Changing of the Guard'-Stone Coyotes   
'Shut Up'-Blink182  
'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'-Beatles  
'With A Little Help From My Friends'-Beatles  
'Good Vibrations'- C+C Music Factory


	26. The Morning After

hey all. this chapter is…well, you'll see. read and review, please!

disclaimer: The Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Matt, Anna, Chris, Sammie, and Anthony belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 26: The Morning After  
By NYgoldfish54**

**Lex's POV**

When I wake up and look at the nightstand to my left, it's not there. Instead I have to look over to a huge mound of covers to see it on the right-hand side of the bed. 9:30 AM. Jeez, kinda early...and my head kinda hurts. I think I'm having a hangover. Maybe I'd better go splash some water on my face and take some Tylenol. I have some in my handbag. 

I take the medicine and head toward the bathroom door...or where the bathroom door should be. I just walked straight into the wall. What the hell's going on? I glance around. The door's where I'm standing, except directly across from me. I would have bet money it was on this side. I've been here two weeks. The door's always been here. Weird. It must be my hangover. 

When I get to the bathroom I open a bottle of water the hotel provides and swallow my painkillers. I sit down on the floor and close my eyes. 

I can't help but think about what Fred told me last night. I felt so sorry for him. Nobody's ever told him that they love him? That's fucking horrible. I swear to God, if I knew his dad, I'd kick his ass. I don't care how rich and powerful his father is, you can't do that to your kid. Your kid deserves better than that. Yeah, Fred's a little slow. I always had to explain everything in science to him four times before he understood. But he's not a failure. He's a good hockey player, a good friend, a loving boyfriend, and a good guy with a good heart. He's not a failure. I _know he's not._

About 10 minutes later the Tylenol starts to kick in and I decide to brush my teeth. I probably have horrible breath. I go to pick up my toothbrush, and I find that it's not there. There's not even enough toothbrushes for Anna, Sammie, and me. There are only two toothbrushes. 

I take a closer look around and realize that nothing in the bathroom is mine or Anna's or Sammie's. I think I've made an important discovery: I'm not in my own room. I wonder whose room I'm in. 

There's a carrying case on the floor, but when I bend from my knees to check the name on the inside, I'm stopped by a pain in my knee. Ouch, damn knee. I banged it hard when I walked into the wall. Maybe I have a lump? I bend 

from the waist to check my knee and I'm suddenly away that the clothing I'd figured were pajamas weren't pajamas at all. 

I'm wearing a sports bra that I'd warn after I changed out of my concert clothes. Ok, that's alright. The boxers that I have on that I've never seen before? Uh...not ok. 

Dammit, what happened last night? 

Let's see, I put Cecilia into her room, then I was talking to Fred, then I was talking with Charlie, and then I was dancing with Charlie. Next Fred and Matt came down and announced they were giving each other another chance. Then I was dancing with Fred. Then...oh jeez. What happened next? 

Oh no. Oh _no. I slept with Fred. _

A feeling that feels a lot like panic begins to rise out of my stomach and through my body. Fred's gonna kill me...no...Cecilia's gonna kill me! My friends will kill me! Not if I kill me first! No wait, I don't want to die. Maybe there's a window I can escape out of? Before I realize what I'm doing, my eyes are searching for a window. 

"Wait, wait, stop!" screams the rational part of my brain. "Think, O'Leary, you idiot, think!" 

Ok, then, what happened after dancing with Fred? Hmm, I remember dancing more. But who was I with? Jeff, I think. I slept with Jeff? No, I wouldn't do that, drunk or sober. Hmm...there was more dancing, more drinking...there was kissing! Who was kissing me? 

"Who'd want to, at that point?" the evil part of my brain says. 

"Oh shutup," I say to it mentally. 

Then the evil part speaks again. "Come on Lex, you know who thinks you're pretty, you know who just fought with Cecilia over." 

"Shut up you dumbass brain! Did I hit you too hard when I walked to the wall before?" I murmur to myself. "Oh no," I continue, "Now I'm talking to myself and I'm going mad..." 

I didn't sleep with Fred, I tell myself. I wouldn't! I couldn't have! Oh please, don't let me have slept with Fred...  

"Hey, O'Leary, idiot!" the rational voice is screaming again. "If you want to find out who you've slept with, why don't you see who's under the bed covers?" 

I actually laugh out loud for a second. That's a pretty good idea. 

I leave the bathroom and limp slightly over to the bed, and look down at the heap over covers, which twenty minutes ago, I thought were just covers. 

"Please, please, please don't be Fred," I pray to the covers. 

"Hey, if it is Fred, you can blame the alcohol," say the rational and evil parts of my brain together. 

I pull the covers off gently off, so I don't wake up whoever it is. I heave a huge sigh of relief. He's on his stomach, and I can't see his face, but I know it's not Fred. The hair is too light to be Fred's. 

It's not Fred! I'm safe from Cecilia's wrath! Woohoo! Then I remember I'm looking down at someone I may or may not have lost my virginity to. Oops, got a little sidetracked there. 

His hair is brown, but I can't see his face. Hmm... his hair is brown. That excludes Banks and Anthony. They're both blond. It excludes Luis and Kenny, whose hair is too dark to be this person's. It can't be Russ, cause the skin isn't black. It can't be Fulton, as his hair is too dark...oh wait! Fulton and Portman are gay, so they're out. It's not Jeff, Matt, or Chris because I just know it's not. That leaves Guy, Dwayne, Averman, or Goldberg. 

It's not Goldberg; Goldberg is bigger and darker. Not curly enough to be Averman. Which means it's either Dwayne or Guy. 

For the love of Connie, I hope it's Dwayne. Not that I'm thrilled about possibly losing my virginity to Dwayne Robertson, but it's better than losing it to someone else's boyfriend in Guy. 

"No it's not," says the evil part of my brain. Oh! I wish that evil voice would shut up! 

I wait another two minutes before I decide I can't take this suspense. I poke the boy to see if he'll roll over. No response, so I poke him again. 

"Alright, alright, Banksie, I'm up, quit poking me," a voice grumbles as the boy turns over and opens his eyes. 

"Lex?" Charlie looks up at me in confusion. 

"Charlie?" I say back to him, equally lost. Charlie? I must have left him out of my process of elimination pool by accident. 

"Why are you here? Is something wrong? Where's Banksie? Why are you wearing a bra and boxers? Wait, why are you wearing _my _boxers?" he looks at me, then under the covers, then back at me. A look of understanding horror spreads across his face. 

He opens his mouth, but I cut him off. "The circumstances say yes, but other than that, there's no actual proof," I say. 

He glances around. "Uh, yeah there is," he says, pulling a used condom out of the garbage, and showing it to me. 

My legs suddenly feel amazingly similar to jello. I slump down on to the bed and start crying. I don't really know why I'm crying. I think I'm just mad at myself for being an idiot. 

Charlie climbs out from under the covers and pulls me close to him, letting me sob on his bare shoulder. 

"Shh, Lex, don't cry, I'm sorry," he soothes. 

Suddenly the memories of last night come flooding back. I was dancing with Charlie, then drinking with Charlie, and kissing Charlie. Charlie led me up to his room, kissing me still. I remember him pulling off my shirt, unbuckling his belt buckle, and so on... 

I remember it hurting slightly, but I also remember Charlie. I remember wanting and needing him, liking his lips on mine, liking him being so close to me. I remember it feeling good. So good. 

And suddenly, I stop crying, and look up at Charlie, who's babbling in an effort to get me to stop crying. "I'll come with you for all the tests, I'll hold your hand- oh, you've stopped crying," he smiles. "Good," he kisses my forehead. 

But he's brought up something else that I haven't even thought about yet. I'm gonna have to have all those tests done now. I must have looked panicked, because he starts kissing me again. He moves down my neck and toward my shoulder, and I put light pressure on his head with my hands, urging him to continue. But he stops. 

"Wait," he mumbles, coming up to look me in the eye. "Are you sure you want do this? You were crying just a second ago." 

Am I sure? I don't know if I am, but I answered yes anyway, and pulled off his boxers as he pulled another condom from his wallet, which was in his pants pocket. His pants, I notice only just now, are slung over the headboard. 

The rational and evil parts of my brain are hollering again. 

"Lex O'Leary! You idiot! You're not sure if you want this!" the rational voice is yelling. 

"You can't even claim being drunk!" bellows the evil voice. 

Suddenly, both voices stop abruptly. Funny, I couldn't get them to shut up before, when they were taunting me about Fred. Why do they stop now, probably when I need them most? 

I don't think they've stopped, actually. I think my body is just crying out for Charlie too loudly for me to hear my brain. 

Even though I don't hear my brain now, it made two very good points when I could hear it. 

1. Lex O'Leary, you're an idiot.   
2. This time you can't even blame it on the alcohol.

***

**Charlie's POV**

When I wake up, I see Lex, fully clothed and showered, sitting on Adam's unslept-in bed. She's reading a book that looks like it's called The Art of Rock and Roll. I stare at her for a few minutes, thinking about what we did a few hours ago.

Lex was my first time. Linda and I talked about a few times, but I was losing interest in her, and it just never happened. Lex is beautiful...at least to me. Banksie and Jeff told me about her interest in me, and she's been my focus ever since on this trip. I can't believe I missed out all freshman year.

The sex itself? I only vaguely remember the first time, as I was completely smashed the first time. I was so drunk I'm lucky I remembered to use a condom. 

The second time I thought I would die of nerves. I was so afraid I'd hurt Lex that I'd almost asked her if I was hurting her. She's only about 5'5 or so. She's small. Cecilia is tiny, and Lex isn't all that much bigger. Just out of the "tiny" category and into the "small" category. It felt good, though. Better than anything.

Lex looks up and sees I'm awake. "Good afternoon, sleepyhead," she says, putting down her book and joining me on my bed again.

"Afternoon?" I ask.

"Yes. It's 1:15, look," she points at the clock. Sure enough, it reads 1:15.

"How long have you been awake?" I ask her.

"About an hour and a half."

"We have to make an appearance downstairs, or we'll be found out," I say, sitting up and remembering there are 20 other people here that are going to wonder where we are.

"I've been down there already. We're not the only ones who got drunk and ended up in the wrong rooms. Except, everyone else just slept..." she pauses for a second, then continues, "But nobody is doing much now except sleeping off their hangovers. Connie and Guy are hanging by the pool and Fulton and Portman are shooting pool, but other than that, everyone is still sleeping." She's now tracing my face with her fingertips.

"Well, then they won't mind if we do this, will they?" I say and pull her head down close so her lips meet mine. I begin to kiss her neck, because I like the way she involuntarily shudders when I kiss where her neck meets her shoulders.

"No, Charlie, don't," she says, pulling away from me.

"What?" I ask her.

"Because for someone who's never done this, twice is a lot. I'm kind of sore, all over," she says quietly.

"Did I hurt you?" I ask her, now slightly alarmed. Dammit.

"No, Charlie, you were great...it felt great...it's just...I dunno. I don't feel like I can handle so much, so fast. I'm really sorry," she adds sadly. "I probably shouldn't have done it the second time. I'm a bit of an idiot. I'm not sure how I feel about you."

Um...is this not the same girl who allowed me to make love to her a few hours ago? Without the influence of alcohol? I must be looking at her funny, because she speaks again.

"Don't look at me like that, Charlie, please," she begs.

"If you're not sure how you feel about me, why'd you let me sleep with you?" I ask, irritated now.

"We were wasted," she replies.

"No, Lex, the second time."

"I don't know...I just...wanted you so badly, Charlie. I really did. I still do. I'm just not sure if it's because I really want you or because I'm upset about Fred," she sighs.

"Maybe you'd better go until you figure it out, then," I snap. "I'm really not interested in being somebody's back up fuck buddy."

Lex's temper usually flares when people get impatient with her. Not this time, though. Her eyes just fill with tears as she looks at me, and then she turns to go. Oh no, I didn't want her to cry. I want her to stay, and I want her to leave at the same time, but I _don't_ want her to cry.

"Wait, Lex, please," I say, and at the door she turns to face me. I pull my boxers on and stand up. "Come back, Lex, I didn't mean that," I hold my arms out for her to grab onto. 

She walks back to me and I wrap my arms around her waist. She's still crying, my chest wet with her tears. "I'm sorry, Lex, don't cry, I'm sorry," I sooth. I mean it. I don't want her to cry. I don't want her to regret this morning. I don't want her to regret me.

"I'm sorry, Charlie, I'm sorry," she sobs. "I don't want Fred, I want you."

"Shhh, I know, I know, don't cry, Lex, please don't cry," I say, holding her close. 

When she finally does stop crying, she looks up at me with big, shiny brown eyes and she smiles.

"That's more like it," I say. She buries her head in my chest again and begins to kiss me. I sink down onto Banksie's still made bed, so I'm easier for her to reach. She kisses my neck and face and finally stops on my lips. My turn now. I kiss the corner of her mouth and move back down toward her neck and shoulders.

"No," she murmurs into my hair, "Charlie, we can't do this again, not now. Later, I promise, later."

"Alright," I mumble into her shoulder. "Later."

She runs her hands through my hair, then lifts my head from her shoulder and looks into my eyes. 

"I do want you Charlie. More than anything. Now you go take a shower, and I'm gonna go get the others out of bed. Then maybe you and I can go grab something to eat."

"Alright," I agree. 

She kisses me one more time, then gets up and bounces out the door, singing as she goes. It's a song in which Matt sang lead at the show last night. A song by Meatloaf. A song I rather liked, actually.

"you took the words right out of my mouth  
it must have been while you were kissing me  
you took the words right out of my mouth  
and I swear it's true, I was just about to say 'I love you'"

I smile after her, and hum the melody as I climb into the shower. I'm in such a good mood that I don't even care how if my mother finds out about this, she'll kill me.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

borrowed lyrics in this chapter:  
'You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth'-Meat Loaf

by the way, "The Art of Rock and Roll" is not a real book. At least, not as far as I know. I made it up. But if it is, by any weird chance, a real book, then I give credit to the author.


	27. Too Much Information, part 1

hey all. chapter 27 for ya. review for us, ok?

Cheers!  
-Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: Ducks belong to Disney. Cecilia and Fred belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, and their friends belong to NYgoldfish54. 

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**Chapter 27: Too Much Information, part 1  
By Cimmy**

**Anthony's POV**

I really need to find Lex, for some reason. I want to know how Cecilia's feeling, but I don't want to ask her myself. I want to avoid her as much as possible. For some other reason, I find that girl Julie in Jeff's room, and she tells me that Lex could be with Charlie or Fred. I hope it's Fred. It's evil, but I hope she's with Fred.

I'm just about to knock on the door to Adam and Charlie's room, when I find a key-card on the floor with their room number on it. I don't know what impulse in my brain makes me think that it's okay to walk in without knocking, but that's what I do. Just to find Lex, in bed with someone who's not Fred. It's Charlie, of all people.

"Anthony!" Lex exclaims, pushing Charlie away from her. She's got a sports bra on. That's all I can see. That's all I _want _to see. 

"I don't wanna know, please God, don't tell me," I moan and turn away. Okay, plan B. I don't have a plan B. I just leave.

No, last night's events didn't help me to forget about that Cecilia girl. I had a lot of fun, but I'm still thinking about her today. Now I can't even throw Fred angry glimpses anymore, after he saved Sammie from that fight. Why did he have to go and play hero?

***

**Adam's POV**

My head is stilling torturing me when I try to sit up straight. The carpet I was resting on is beginning to get a bit uncomfortable. There's a sound coming from the bathroom. Hey, wasn't our bathroom on the other side of the room?

Where the hell am I anyway?

So, I remember how Charlie refused to open the door last night. I forgot my key-card somewhere; I guess I have to go look for it later. Now I have to figure out whose room I'm in.

There are two bags on the floor. I crawl over to see what's in them. I only get halfway across the room before the bathroom door opens up, and Fred comes crawling out. Why am I in his room?

"What are _you _doing here?" he questions me.

"I was going to ask the same," I answer, slowly sitting up again. "Is this your room?"

"Last time I checked," Fred says, looking tired and nauseous. "You don't happen to know how much I was drinking last night?"

There's not much I actually _do_ remember from last night. There was alcohol, that's for sure. I guess we were down partying in the club downstairs. Charlie disappeared. Cecilia wasn't there. And we were all drinking a lot. More details then that can't be provided by me, sadly.

There's someone moving on the bed, and suddenly Cecilia sits up and gazes at me. "Adam? What are you doing here?"

"I don't know," I admit. "You missed out on a real party."

Fred just nods at her, before he crawls back into the bathroom, throwing up some more. Cecilia leaps out of bed, sinking down next to me on the floor. "Tell me, what happened?"

"Ha!" I growl, turning my head away. She is my friend and all, but still, she annoys the hell out of me whenever I have a hang over. "Why aren't you feeling worse?"

She shrugs and gets up from the floor. I lie down again, staring into carpet. When she comes back, she's fully dressed and restless. This is unfair. She's been munching pain-killers, and she still feels better then I do? If I wasn't having such a hang over, I'd hit her with something.

"I'm gonna go find Lex and say thank you," Cecilia announces. "You wanna come with me?"

"Does it look like I know how to move?" I mutter from the floor. "My head is about to pop at any minute. You can go. I'll stay."

Cecilia pouts at me, and usually that does work, but not now. So she leaves without me. Oh, joy. The silence I require doesn't stick around for long, suddenly I hear angry voices from the hallway. It's Charlie's voice, and he's probably yelling at Cecilia.

"How irresponsible can a person get, huh? If I had the power, I'd suspend you from the team," Charlie shouts.

"It wasn't my fault! I was in too much pain, and you told me to..."

"I didn't tell you to go and OD on me! You know what could've happened if you'd taken too much of that shit? How many did you take?"

Cecilia's voice gets lower for every second. "Two, but..."

"You're only supposed to take one!"

"I didn't think that would help," she mumbles back.

"How stupid are you? Can't I leave you alone for one second before you..."

Charlie's angry voice is cut off by someone else outside. At first I don't recognize who it is, but then I hear that it's Lex. "Charlie, come on, it was an accident!"

"You're taking her side?" Charlie howls.

"There aren't any sides. Stop yelling at her, she doesn't deserve it."

Lex and Cecilia says something to each other, I guess Cecilia's saying thank you, but Charlie interrupts them. "How are you to tell me how to run my own team?"

"You're not on the ice now!" Lex points out. "I'm just thinking that you're overreacting the slightest bit."

"So you're taking her side, even though she did wrong? Yeah, that's very sane. How stupid can _you _get?"

"Don't call either of us stupid!" Lex hollers.

"Well, no, I'm the stupid one, obviously, for sleeping with you," Charlie barks back. I hear that Cecilia is quickly running away from there, I know how it sounds when she's on the run. It sounds pretty bouncy. But what do I know? I have the worst hang over ever.

"Don't turn that against me," Lex continues, her voice is dangerous by now.

"I'm stupid, and you jumped into bed with me. I wonder what that makes you," Charlie goes on. He never really knows when to quit it, does he?

"An idiot," Lex shouts. "I can't believe you're using that against me! I thought..."

"Don't think. Just leave me alone right now," Charlie moans. Lex starts to cry, and I hear her run off. Charlie stomps back to his room and slams the door closed. Ouch, my head.

Fred shows up again, still with that sick looking expression on his face. "What was all that about? Did you scream?"

"No, it was Charlie." I decide to not tell him about what went on outside. I bet Charlie and Lex want to keep that to themselves. I'd help out, but I feel a bit too dead right now.

"Where's Cecilia?"

"She left to talk to Lex. Probably to get some food," I explain. I don't know, I can't remember what she told me. Fred wrinkles his nose when I mention food, and goes back to the bathroom.

The phone starts to ring. Fred doesn't care, he's hurling. The ringing makes my head collapse, so I decide to answer.

What harm can I do?

***

**Anthony's POV**

I look out the window. I'm down in the lobby, avoiding the pity stares from my friends. Besides, most of them are having a hang over, so I'd rather be alone right now. 

I am alone for almost half an hour, when suddenly Cecilia comes running down the stairs. I hope she won't notice me; I don't need her pity stares at all.

Although, she looks a bit too upset for pity stares right now. She's walking quickly towards the front desk, and doesn't see the small table right around the corner she's about to turn. I open my mouth to shout, but I don't have time. Cecilia walks right into the table, falls over and lands on the vase that was placed on the table.

"Oh no!" she exclaims, sitting down. I hurry over to her, and when she sees me, she repeats the same words again, but with a different tone. Cheers.

"Are you okay?" I ask, kneeling next to her. Cecilia is investigating her knee.

Then she starts to sob. "It's bleeding," she whimpers, sounding a bit pathetic, I must say.

"It's not a deep cut," I say, looking at her knee. She still seems upset about it, so I decide to be nice and help her. One of the receptionists comes over, giving us a suspicious look. I guess they all recognize Cecilia from that other fight a few days ago. While she gathers the shattered pieces of what's left of the vase, I pick Cecilia up from the floor and place her on one of the bar stools right next to us.

Cecilia is still sobbing, probably trying to avoid crying in front of me. "Does it hurt?" I continue. She nods, and I kneel in front of her to get a better look of the 'injury'. I tell the receptionist to get some band-aids, ointment and paper-tissues. Cecilia whines when I try to clean the wound. "Are you sure you're a hockey-player?" I have to ask.

"This actually hurts," she answers, pouting and sniffling. I roll my eyes, smiling at the pointless effort to receive my concern. Cecilia watches while I put on the band-aid, then she whimpers some more.

I grab her leg. "Does this hurt?" I tilt my head to the side, squeezing her leg. She shakes her head. "How bout this?" I continue, moving my hand up a bit.

"No," she says, sniffling one last time.

"Now?" I can't hold back my grin. It finally downs on her that I'm teasing her, and she smacks her hand onto my cheek to turn my head away. "What?" I can't stop laughing at her, and she jumps down from the chair.

"Don't squeeze my legs like that!" she howls, also laughing.

"I was just checking. You have nice legs," I tease, and she seems embarrassed. "Where are you going, young one?"

Cecilia shrugs. "I was just getting away from Charlie," she explains. "Now I don't have a mission any longer."

"You wanna do something?" I offer. Oh, why did I have to say that?

She seems surprised that I asked. "You wanna hang out with me?"

"Yeah, unless you have something else planned," I say casually. "We could go into Orlando again."

"Just you and me?" she replies, smiling a bit. "I guess. I need some new pants anyway." Cecilia looks at the whole in her jeans, caused by the vase.

"Let's go, then," I smile, holding the door up for her. Cecilia limps up to me and disappears out the door.

Yeah, this is a great plan to get her out of my head. What's wrong with me? Am I really that crazy for this girl? Anthony, you're a fool.

***

**Guy's POV**

Connie is still wrapped up in my arms. We've been lying like this for a long time, watching people swim around in the pool. I'm amazed she's not moving at all. But it could be because of the hang over she had earlier. I was surprised when she didn't force me out of bed at the crack of dawn.

It's almost time for food. I haven't been able to eat all day, thanks to the several jelly shots I downed last night. Connie has been chewing on some crackers, but my stomach craves for some real food.

"I'm tired," Connie yawns. "When's dinner?"

"Soon, I guess. I should go look."

Connie sits up and gazes in through the windows. "Ask Portman, he's right inside."

I start to twist and turn. Connie throws me a suspicious look. "Nah, I'll go look," I say.

"Why? He's right in there," she points and I quickly grab her hand to avoid receiving his attention.

"I know. He's probably there with Fulton."

Connie smiles. "Yeah, so what?" Her smile suddenly fades away. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"I don't know, I just... Never mind."

There's a long silence. "You wanna talk about it?" she asks me.

"No, I don't. Let's just go see where the others are."

"I don't want this to be a problem," she says slowly.

"So, don't make it a problem."

She stands up and looks at me, it looks like she's considering to say something, but doesn't. I get up too, take her hand and lead her inside. I know she's looking at me weird. I can always sense it.

I shouldn't have said anything.

*** 

**Ken's POV**

We're all waiting outside the restaurant, as usual, for everyone to show up for dinner. Charlie, Lex, Cecilia, Anthony, Fred and Adam have still not showed up. Charlie, the one that always lectures us that we should be on time, is not here. There's something amusing about that.

Adam is the first one to come dashing down the stairs. He looks awfully alive, from the last time I saw him. He's got a lot less upbeat Fred following him. Fred looks like hell run over twice, and he really didn't drink all that much last night. He's usually a lot worse.

"Hey, Bonnie!" Portman shouts all across the room. Fred twitches and moans. I can't remember when Portman came up with the idea of calling Fred Bonnie, but I think it was around 3 AM this morning. It made us laugh then, and we're still laughing at it now.

"Don't call me that," Fred growls. "Why aren't we eating?"

"Because _we _are waiting for _you _to show up!" Guy mutters, clearly grumpy because of lack of food.

"Well, I'm here now," Fred announces. "Let's eat."

"We're still waiting for Charlie, Anthony, Lex and Cecilia," I tell him. Fred mutters something, but I can't hear what it is. Probably for the best.

Connie and Guy are behaving strange today. Connie isn't her usual bouncy self, and Guy looks thoughtful. I wonder if all the fighting has gotten to them, and they've been arguing. But it doesn't look that way, their arguments usually pass quickly. Guy apologizes, and they talk things through. That's a much better solution then throwing insults and beat each other senseless with flying objects.

We're all getting tired of the wait, when Cecilia comes bursting through the front door with Anthony right behind her. They're laughing at something, making us all turn around. That was probably the last thing I expected to see. Fred doesn't look that mad, though. He walks toward Cecilia, and she lets go of Anthony's arm to throw herself over Fred instead.

"Guess where I've been?"

"Out on deep water?" Portman suggests from the couch. "You're giving Bonnie a myocardial infarction!"

Cecilia gives Fred a surprised look. "Who's Bonnie?"

"I need to talk to you," Fred explains, grabbing her hand.

"You're not mad, are you?"

"What? No, it's nothing like that. We just need to talk."

Most of us moan, knowing that this will make dinner even more late. Anthony comes strolling over to the couch, receiving pointedly stares from the band members. I look over at Fred and Cee. He's obviously saying something that gives her face an expression of horrify. When I look around, I see that Adam is having the same forced look upon his face as Fred. What the hell is going on? Did Portman's kiss make Fred switch teams last night?

"Let's just start without them," Jeff suggests. "They can't be that far off."

"When?" Cecilia howls from the other side of the room. I'm just about to ask Adam what's going on, when Charlie comes running from around the corner. He doesn't even see us.

"Lex!" he shouts, spinning around, looking for her.

From the other direction, Lex comes walking in. "Charlie?" Right in front our eyes, she leaps into his arms, giving him a passionate kiss. Let me refrain: _this is the last thing I expected to see. Ever._

For a moment, we just stare at them. Fred is also staring, but he doesn't look surprised. Just a bit jealous. Actually, if looks could kill, Charlie would've been dead by now. Then Fred turns his attention back to Cecilia, but she jumps up from her chair and leaves. When her way is blocked by the kissing couple, she throws her hands into the air and shakes her head, while moving around them.

"I can't believe you! You're leaving and you don't even tell me?"

Fred sighs. "I didn't know until just now. My Dad called and told me to get up to him in Washington, or he'll send me home. Please, Cecilia!"

"No, you could've told me! You knew about this, and still..."

While she is scolding at him, Charlie and Lex are being annoying. "I'm sorry, Lex," Charlie whimpers, kissing her again.

"No, I'm sorry," Lex states, kissing his face everywhere she can reach. "It was my fault."

"No, it was my fault."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it was totally my fault, Lex."

Don't tell me they're going to behave like this all year; I can't even stand them after two minutes!

"Can you let me finish?" Fred asks, walking around Charlie and Lex to get to Cecilia, ignoring the two love-birds. "I want you to come with me."

Cecilia stops. "What?"

"We don't have to go to Washington. We could go anywhere, it doesn't matter. Just as long as I don't stay down here, he'll be satisfied. And I want you to come with me."

"You do?" Cecilia's face lights up into a wide smile. Then she hurries back to him, throwing herself into his arms again.

"I can't leave without you, you crazy girl. I'd go anywhere, as long as you'll be there too."

Anthony looks more interested in what the two of them are discussing, then what Charlie and Lex are doing. I can imagine that he feels like a train just hit him. Several times. He looks devastated, but who can blame him? After this, he probably won't see Cecilia ever again.

Charlie suddenly looks up. "You can't leave!"

"Why?" Cecilia asks.

"Because you're expected to go home with us! You're not going anywhere."

"Just watch me," Cecilia walks past him, holding Fred's hand in a firm grip.

"Oh, no! Come back here!" Charlie hollers, following them across the room, dragging Lex along.

"Where are we going?" Lex wants to know.

"I'm going to kill one of my players. You're invited to watch," Charlie growls. Lex just smiles, skipping next to him as they disappear into the restaurant.

Portman gets up from the couch, grinning. "Food, anyone?"


	28. Too Much Information, part 2

hey all. updates are gonna be few and far between (ok, more like mostly on weekends) because I'm back at school (sucks, I know) as is Cimmy. just thought I'd let you know. once again, fanfiction.net does not show this story has been updated on the 'Just In' page, so you have to go through my profile to read the new chapters.

anyway, here's chapter 28. review for us, ok?

disclaimer: Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Matt, Anna, Chris, Sammie, Anthony, and Robbie belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 28: Too Much Information, part 2  
By NYgoldfish54**

**Russ's POV**

I wonder what I should order for dinner. I'm kind of hungry, not too much. A sandwich looks good…yeah, I think I'll have a corned beef sandwich…

I'm not sure what's going on, but it's sort of odd. Something's up between Fred and Cecilia, Connie and Guy, and now Lex and Charlie. It's amazing how something as innocent as taking a trip to Florida can bring on all sorts of doom and disaster.

Charlie's lecturing Cecilia. 

"No, you can't go with Fred!" Charlie finally bellows at her, causing the rest of the people here to turn around and watch the table. 

"I can and I will!" Cecilia hollers back.

"Could we…calm down, please?" requests Fulton in a quiet voice. He looks as though he's going to pound the pair of them if they don't shut up.

"Yeah, take it easy, Charlie, please," Julie says.

"She has to go home with us. She's expected to," Charlie growls.

"I want to go with Fred!" Cecilia says.

"Uh…duh," says Luis, as the waitress comes over.

After we order, the argument continues. I probably shouldn't be listening, but I am anyway.

"She can come with me, Charlie," Fred says, looking at Cecilia.

"You're both insane!" Charlie says angrily.

"Listen, I hafta leave," Fred mumbles. "I'm going whether you like it or not, and I'm taking Cecilia with me."

"The hell you are," says Charlie.

"I have to," says Fred.

"Oh yeah, why do you _have to?" Charlie asks, annoyed._

"My dad…I'll explain later," Fred mumbles, looking sad.

Charlie opens his mouth again, but Lex sees the look on Fred's face, and cuts in. "Leave him alone, Charlie, just eat."

Our food's arrived. Yay! Corned beef sandwich!

"Whose side are you on?" Charlie spits at Lex through a mouthful of chicken.

"Since when are there sides, Charlie? You keep bringing up these sides that don't exist," Lex says calmly, eating her salad, and periodically, throwing croutons at Jeff. 

"I thought we were close, why are you so quick to side with Fred?" Charlie asks, a little more impatient this time.

"I'm close to Fred, too. Besides, Charlie, he's upset, look at him," she says, looking up from a cherry tomato and examining Fred, who does look rather pale.

"What's that got to do with you and me?" Charlie asks, clearly irritated now.

"I don't know. You weren't asking about you and me," Lex says, chewing up lettuce now.

"Well, I am now! What about me, Lex? What about this morning, in my room!?" Charlie says, rather angrily and loudly.

The whole table looks over, and Lex finally stops eating. She just looks at Charlie, then says, "Portman, pass the salt."

Portman's watching with interest, numbly doing what he's told. Lex shakes some salt on to her salad, and then continues with it. I wonder if she's aware the whole table is still watching her. Good thing most of the restaurant has cleared out.

"What about it?" Charlie bellows at her, and I notice that Jeff and Anthony tense, and Matt and Chris stand up.

"I don't know," she says, looking around. "Matt, Chris, what the hell are you doing? Sit down. Charlie, we're not even _dating._ I mean, what do you want me to say?"

Matt and Chris sit, though they don't look too happy. This look of realization suddenly comes over Anthony's face, and he says, "Hey, Lex, is that what was going on when I came-"

"Anthony, if you want to live to see the city again, you'll shut up now," Lex says, her voice dangerous. Anthony rolls his eyes, but shuts up anyway.

"What's going on?" asks Connie finally.

"Yeah, fill us in," says Dwayne, and for once, he's not the only one confused.

"Charlie, what are you talking about?" Matt asks with his fists clenched on the table, in a voice of very forced calm. "What happened in your room this morning?"

"Nothing, forget about it," Charlie says, watching Matt's fists.

"They slept together," Adam announces, for the whole table to hear. Everyone stops everything they were doing, whether it was eating, drinking, or breathing. "Sorry guys, I couldn't take the suspense," Adam says, looking very intently at his bread.

Both Charlie and Lex stare at each other, then at Adam, then at the table full of surprised people, and then back at each other. I'm sitting and looking like an idiot with my mouth hanging open. I know it. I glance around. Fred actually looks furious. Cecilia doesn't look surprised, but everyone else does.

"I'll kill you," Matt says, looking straight at Charlie.

"No, Matt, I'm her best friend, I'll kill him," says Jeff, standing up.

"I'm her brother, I'll kill him," says a voice.

Lex whirls around, coming face to face with her brother, Robbie, who looks absolutely furious. He's heard everything that's just been said? I have a feeling Charlie's lucky he's not dead already.

"Uh oh," says Lex, her eyes wide, and sounding much like a four year old.

"Yeah, 'uh oh' and you're dead too. Just wait till I tell mom about this," Robbie says, picking Lex up from around the waist.

"You wouldn't tell her! Put me down!" Lex yells. Robbie grants her request and drops her next to Jeff.

"Hold on to her, Jeff. Now you," he says, turning to Charlie and grabbing his shirt, "say your prayers."

Charlie's just looking at Robbie O'Leary with this look of great confusion on his face. Lex is wiggling, but Jeff's got a firm grip on her.

Robbie's fist connects with Charlie's face, and Charlie goes flying. Wow, this looks familiar. Charlie is lying flat on his back, and not moving. I look at the Bash Brothers. They're just sitting there. They should probably be doing something, but look absolutely dumbfounded, and aren't moving.

The next thing I hear is a string of swear words from Jeff. Lex has gotten out of his grip, it appears, by biting his hand. She gets out of their reach before Matt and Chris can grab her.

She grabs Robbie's arm before he can hit Charlie again, while he's down. "Don't, Robbie," she says, tears in her eyes. He doesn't look too convinced.

"Get off, Lex."

"Robbie, please," she begs.

Robbie just looks skeptical. "Oh, alright," he says. "Let go, I won't hit him again."

"Don't be mad Robbie, please, it wasn't so bad. He didn't take advantage or anything. It was my fault too, hit me instead."

"Don't you get enough beatings at home?" Robbie asks her.

"I'll get a huge one if you tell mom and dad about this," she says. "Don't tell, Robbie, please."

"Who said anything about telling dad? And quit whining. Fine. I won't tell mom. But you're going to a clinic when we get back to New York, you understand me?"

"Yeah, yeah, alright."

"I'm not kidding, Alexis!" Robbie bellows. For one, wild moment, I can't figure out who Robbie is talking to. Alexis?

"Neither am I!" Lex shouts back.

"Who's Alexis?" Averman asks, looking confused.

"His sister, idiot," Anna mutters.

That's right. 'Lex' isn't her real name. In math, the teacher kept calling her 'Alexis' and she kept saying, 'Lex.'

Robbie looks down at Charlie on the floor. "I'm not sure I like you, kid. Come on, get up off the floor, I didn't break your cheek bone."

Charlie sits up and rubs his face. Lex kneels down next to him and examined the purplish bruise coming up on the side of Charlie's face.

"You'll live," she decides, smiling.

Charlie looks at her. "You're brother hit me," he says.

"Delayed reaction, there?" Adam asks.

"Banks, shut up, as this is all your fault," I tell him. If he hadn't said anything, none of this would have happened.

"Are you alright?" Lex asks Charlie, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Yeah, I think," he says, burying his head in her chest.

"Do you want me to hit you again? Get your nose out of my sister's shirt!" Robbie yells.

"What did you want, anyway, Robbie?" Lex asks, pushing Charlie off her and standing up again.

"Well, I wanted you and me to go to Universal for a while. I never get to hang out with you anymore," he says, still looking suspiciously at Charlie, who's still sitting on the floor.

"Do you still want to go?" Lex asks, looking hopeful.

"Well, yeah, Lex, you're my sister, we don't hang out anymore, I still want to go," he sighs.

"Well, then let's go."

"Go put a jacket on, it's getting cool out with the sun going down," Robbie orders.

"Ok," Lex says, walking off.

In the five seconds after she leaves the room, this huge buzz of conversation starts.

"They slept together?"

"We haven't even gotten that far, Connie!"

"I can't believe that!"

"How'd Banksie know?"

"Fred, I overheard them yelling."

"I can't believe Robbie didn't let us kill him!"

"I can't believe she did that."

"Neither of them is that irresponsible."

"What the hell?"

"Are y'all as confused as I am?"

"I can't believe Charlie."

"Are they crazy?"

"She was better off with you, Fred."

"You say that like it's such a bad thing," Fred says, and to my surprise, he's glaring angrily at Charlie.

"Well, how was she, Charlie?" asks Portman, grinning.

Robbie looks as though he might shoot Portman and Charlie both, but Charlie ignores this and answers anyway.

"Better than anything I ever dreamed of," he says with a far away look in his eye.

It's perhaps a good thing that Lex walked back into the room just then, because Robbie looked murderous.

"I'm ready," she announces to her brother. "See you all later."

"Hey!" Jeff yells.

"What?" Lex says.

"What about Anna, Sammie, Chris, Anthony, Matt, and me? We deserve an explanation!" Jeff demands.

"First off, I'm sorry I bit your hand. And if I give you an explanation later, is that acceptable?" Lex asks quietly, walking over to Jeff and resting her head on his chest. She suddenly looks very tired.

"It's ok, and yeah, I guess," he says, wrapping his arms around her. Both Charlie and Fred look furious. What is up with Fred? He had a _choice_. He _picked Cecilia! I hope he remembers that!_

Matt just rolls his eyes and then sighs. Anna winks at Lex, and Sammie exclaims, "When you get back, we want details!"

Lex laughs, and the tension in the room breaks. Everyone just starts laughing.

Robbie rolls his eyes, picks Lex up, throws her over his shoulder and says, "Come on, you, let's get going or we won't get there any time before midnight."

"Robbie, put me down!" she hollers, beating her fists on his back and laughing. He just carries her out, as if she's not doing anything. She finally stops, and just grins.

"I'm going upstairs," Charlie mumbles.

"I'll get the details," Banksie volunteers, chasing after Charlie.

Jeff whispers something to Julie. She giggles and nods and they leave, hand in hand.

"This is so weird," Guy mutters.

"I agree," says Kenny.

"It's funny," says Goldberg, laughing.

"Oh boy. You all are nuts," Anthony says.

"Hey, Chris, wanna play some pool?" asks Portman.

"You're on," Chris says, grinning.

"Hey Fulton, I Love Lucy is coming on. Wanna watch?" Sammie asks.

"Hell yeah," says Fulton, standing up.

Everyone's making their plans for the evening. Ken, Averman, and Goldberg are going to hang out in that game room. Connie and Guy are going to the pool. Anna's gonna tag along with Matt and Anthony to some kind of music show. Luis, Fred, and Cecilia are going to go for a walk.

As for me, I think I'll go back to my corned beef sandwich. I was too busy gaping at what was going on around me to finish before. Now I'll just finish. I look down at my plate. "Hey, where's my sandwich! It's gone!"

Dwayne gives me this huge grin and says, "Sorry, partner."

"Jeez. Well, what do you say, Cowboy? How's air hockey in the game room sound?"

"Like a plan," Dwayne says.

"Come on," I say, standing up and starting for the upstairs. "We can take turns kicking each other's ass at an air hockey table."

So I'll play air hockey for the evening with the Cowboy and just have a good time. We all need one, after dinner tonight. 

So Charlie screwed around with Lex. I chuckle to myself. He's gonna need the most rest out of all of us.


	29. Crazy For This Girl

hey all, been a couple weeks and such. Cimmy and I have both had writer's block, and school has been messing up our lives lately. yes, we know it sucks. but we've got a few chapters done, starting with this one. read and review, ok?

-Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: Ducks and Disney World belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Anthony, Anna, Matt, Chris, and Sammie belong to NYgoldfish54.

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**Chapter 29: Crazy For This Girl  
By Cimmy and NYgoldfish54**

**Anthony's POV**

I've decided to go ask Cecilia if she wants to hang out with me today. I had so much fun yesterday with her, when we were alone all afternoon, without the rest of our friends. This is my last chance to spend some time with her, now when she's leaving with Fred. It pains me that she's taking off with him. I wish she could stay.

So I'm going to swallow my pride and go knock on her door. At first I think no one's there, because it takes forever until I hear a sound. Uh-oh, I hope I'm not intruding on some special moment. Like the one I stumbled into yesterday between Charlie and Lex. God, I'll kill myself if I have to picture Cecilia with Fred the same way I saw Lex... No, I can't even think it.

Fred opens, and he looks like he just woke up. "Yeah?"

"Hi." Okay, what do I say now? I can't tell him that I'd like to spend the day with his girlfriend, just so I can dream about her some more when she eventually leaves me.

But I don't need to explain; Fred rubs his eyes and yawns in my face. "Oh, you're looking for Cecilia. Wait, I'll get her." He doesn't sound as suspicious and jealous as he did earlier. "Come in, she's almost ready."

Ready for what? I reluctantly follow him inside, closing the door behind me. Fred falls back into the double-sized bed and crawls under the blankets. Then he realizes that he hasn't called for Cecilia, so he lifts his head up. "Hey, you have a visitor!"

"What?" Cecilia's voice is coming from the bathroom. "Who is it?"

Fred refuses to answer; I think he's asleep already. Cecilia comes dashing out, grabbing the doorframe to stop herself. Then she smiles when she sees me. "Anthony! What are you doing here?" she exclaims, climbing over the bed to get to me. I think she stepped on Fred's hand, because he's whimpering from under the layers of blankets. "Sorry."

It looks like she's been preparing herself to go out, without Fred, because she's dressed and he isn't. "I was wondering if you'd like to join me into town again. I have some free time before we go to the ceremony later. You wanna come?"

"Yeah!" she shouts. Fred whimpers some more. "Don't mind him, he's grumpy when he's woken up."

"No, you hurt me when you stepped on my arm."

"I said sorry," she replies, skipping back to the bed, crouching down so she can look under it. "Where's my shoe?"

"On your foot."

"The other one."

"Take another pair. Oh, right, you only wear that pair. You know it's summer, right? But hell, you wore those sneakers all winter too, if I remember it correctly. Is that the only pair you have?" Fred mumbles, his head under the pillow, clutching it with his right arm. "I'll gladly donate some money so you can buy some new shoes."

Cecilia looks up, taps him over the head with her newfound shoe and he whimpers again. Then she climbs over him, to the other side of the bed and grabs her jacket from the floor. It's hot outside, I don't understand why she keeps insisting to wear a jacket all the time. When she hurries back, she takes the opportunity to smack Fred's bottom.

"Ouch, my bum," he grunts, still from under the pillow.

"Oh, your butt is fine, don't whine. I'll be back later. Bye, Fred."

"Om du inte kommer tillbaka kommer jag att skicka polisen efter dig," he mutters. What did he just say? I hope it wasn't an insult. I might have to say something clever back. [If you don't come back, I'll send the police after you.]

Cecilia just giggles, grabbing my hand to drag me out. Before she shuts the door, she just has to reply. "Kryp tillbaka under filten, om du är snäll kanske jag köper en kaka åt dig på vägen hem. Eller lite sprit." Something hits the door, and she quickly closes it and stares at me. "He got mad." [Crawl back under the blanket, if you're nice, I'll bring you back at cookie on the way home. Or some liquor.]

"Maybe you shouldn't tease him?" I suggest.

"Ah, he'll get over it. He's just sour because I woke him up too early. Like I had a choice, we're sharing a bed. It's not like I can leave without him noticing."

"Thanks for the mental image. Can we leave now?"

"It's nothing like that!" she laughs. "We didn't sleep together, we just... eh, slept together. Besides, he was too upset last night to care about anything. I think it's the Lex/Charlie thing that's making him sulk. He's pathetic, really. I had to get up so I could... Well, I was going to find you, truthfully."

Since when is she the talkative one? I don't think she's said this much all vacation. Except... I think she just doesn't talk when there are more then three people around her…because we were talking yesterday, and she contributed quite nicely to the conversation.

"Well, we think alike," I point out. We head down the stairs, leaving the hotel. "Where do you wanna go?"

"Wherever. We went shopping yesterday, so maybe we could go do something else today?"

"You wanna see a movie?" I ask. Say no, it's too hot to be inside a movie theater right now. Although, she would be sitting close. Say yes.

Cecilia starts skipping on the spot, pointing at the bus. "Could we decide when we get there?"

So, she was going to find me? I'm flattered. Boyfriend is being pathetic, so she runs to me. I should move to Minneapolis. I guess she's jumping around me because she had a good time yesterday. I had too. Spending some time alone with her was definitely one of the best ideas I've had in a long time.

While we're looking around in town, after the bus has let us off, I decide to say something. After spending two days with her, I'm convinced I'm falling in love. Maybe not. I have to figure that out today. She's leaving tomorrow.

"Helvete. We should eat, I'm hungry," she exclaims.

"Excuse me? What was that first thing you said?"

"Uh, nothing. Food, please?"

"Not until you tell me what the word meant," I smile.

Cecilia just shrugs. "Nothing special. You know, I'm trying to stop curse, so you can't make me say it." She takes my hand and almost tears my arm off while she's pointing at a restaurant. "Food, please!"

"Yeah, alright! Let go of my arm."

Not only do I plan to come up with a conversation, I also plan on buying her food. Like a date, with the exception that she won't know it's a date. Only I know, but I can pretend she knows. Am I starting to sound pathetic too?

"What do ya want?" I ask.

"I think I want pizza," she says, looking up from her menu. We only grabbed those so we could look cool while deciding what to get. The waiter threw us a suspicious glance when we strolled in. Luckily, I have enough money so I can pay. He doesn't have to hyperventilate.

"You only want pizza? You know, I'm not completely broke. You could order something more... I don't know, expensive?"

"I like pizza," she explains, putting down the menu. This of course makes the waiter attack our table immediately. He gets his pen ready to scribble down our order. Cecilia tilts her head to the side and gazes at me. Oh, I'm the one who should order for her? I she that intimidated by people?

Anthony, be a gentleman. You're not with your friends now. This could be a prospect girlfriend. Or maybe not. But behave, no matter what. I place our orders and Cecilia puts her elbows on the table, gazing at me. What?

"What?" I wonder out loud.

"Nothing. I was just thinking... Are you mad because Fred was mean to Lex?"

"Don't worry about it. It's all in the past now. He did save Sammie, so he's even out the score."

"He owes you a punch."

"What?"

"You punched him."

"I told him I was sorry."

"Doesn't matter. I shoved at him a little too, that day," she smiles into her napkin. "But it was an accident. I would've shoved harder if I'd known he was going to screw with Lex."

Back to the old tale about Lex and Fred. This sucks. We should be able to talk about something else but her boyfriend and my ex. Yesterday was a huge exception, obviously. We really shared, and we really had a good time together.

"He didn't screw her," I point out, getting a bit agitated by her talking. "The only one who's getting screwed here are you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's taking advantage of you, making your head spin. And you're too naive to realize that he's hurting you," I mutter. Whoa, where did all this come from?

Cecilia bites her lip and looks both thoughtful, as well as betrayed. I don't know why she would feel betrayed; I just told her the truth. "I'm not naive," she mumbles. "And I want to be with Fred. He takes care of me."

"You're a big girl. You can take care of yourself," I say. I could take care of her just as well as Fred. Why doesn't she understand? Do I have to scream it before she gets it? Oh, Anthony, don't scream. That won't look good.

She folds her napkin and puts it on top of the glass. Then she takes it down and does the same routine again. Answer. Just say something, please. Anything. But she doesn't. She's smothering the conversation with her silence. I have to resort to an apology. "Look, Cecilia..."

Maybe she was just waiting for me to say something more, to break the silence? Because she interrupts me the minute I open my mouth. "Maybe I'm just too good at ending up in fucked up situations. Fred is usually the one saving me. He's never done anything like this before. He's the responsible one. I'm the immature adolescent. If he didn't tell me what to do, I'd be really screwed right now. In more ways then one."

Our food arrives and disturbs her ranting. She starts eating, and I watch as she's picking off the vegetables. "We don't have to talk about him."

"No, we better not. Hey, Anthony?"

"Yeah?"

"I really enjoy spending time with you. You're a really good friend. I haven't met anyone like you before. And I admit that I'm a bit jealous of Lex because she gets all the fun. She wraps Fred around her finger just like that, and she dated you. Now she has Charlie, and he just yells at me. Plus, she's beautiful, and she can sing. She's practically everything I'm not. I just wish I could have you for myself. But I can't even have that."

Yes, you can have me. I'm all yours. Take me? No, I can't say that. "Could you shut up for one minute?" I smile. "You didn't talk like this yesterday. Lex is great, but so are you. What she and I had was a long time ago. She's just my friend. A very good friend, and if you got to know her..."

"I know her. We went to school together all year. She's my friend too. I hope she is, anyway. Could we get off the subject? My butt is falling asleep."

"Excuse me?" I laugh.

She just grins, taking a slice of pizza in her hand and tries to eat it in one bite. She's entertaining. No manners, but funny. "Not a fan of chewing?"

"Well, I'm a busy girl. Don't have time for such irrelevant things as chewing," she snickers. "I swallow."

"That sounded nasty."

"I know. I would rephrase it, but I can't turn back time. Just go with it."

"Sure."

Cecilia seems a bit embarrassed when she looks down into her plate, mumbling something incomprehensible. I have to learn that language. What was the country again? I wonder where she's really from? Why don't I just ask her? She's just across the table.

She's reading my mind again, because she puts down her fork on the plate, clearing her throat. "Did you know that this tastes just like the pizza at home?"

"Do they have pizza there?" I ask. Now I sound stupid. I sound like Fred. Okay, now I sound evil. Hehe.

"Of course! Don't they have pizza everywhere?" she replies, bouncing up and down. Okay, food makes her excited. I'll try to really remember that this time.

The pizza talk makes her forget my little attack on her boyfriend. Or maybe I just didn't say that out loud? "Yeah, they probably do. Like with Chinese food. I don't know why I asked."

"You know, it's like in that movie. What's the name...? Oh, Fucking Åmål."

"Fucking o-what?" She hasn't cursed like this at all since we met. I thought she was supposed to be well-mannered. But she's more fun this way.

"It's this movie, with these two girls who are lesbians, and one of them has a boyfriend. We're like them, but without the lesbian part. Actually, I think that movie is funny. That girl is so cool. I wish I was her. But not a lesbian. Although, you never know..."

While I'm laughing at her statement, without trying to understand what she means, we finish our meals and step out into the sunlight again. We start walking, without having a particular destination in mind. Cecilia keeps spinning around me, holding my hand. People probably assume she's my girlfriend. I hope they are.

We stumble upon some sort of flea market, and Cecilia starts bouncing again. "Let's go look. Maybe I can find something for my Mom. She turned 43 just the other day."

"That old, huh?"

"She's not old," Cecilia states, making it clear that I've crossed some sort of line. Actually, I know nothing about her family. I haven't asked.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. It was just a comment."

"Nevermind. I didn't mean to get all worked up. It's just that... You know, you can't adopt a child unless you're 25. Or 26. So she didn't have much of a choice. I think."

"You're adopted?"

"Sort of. Yeah, I am. But that doesn't matter, does it?"

"Of course not. You have any siblings?"

"Two older brothers. And one younger. Do you?"

Oh, sharing. I've managed to get her to share. "Two younger sisters."

"Cool. What are their names?"

"Rachel and Rebecca," I say, smiling at the thought of the two little girls who were so excited when they found out they were coming down here.

"Are your parents young?" she suddenly asks. I don't know if it's payback because of my earlier input, or if she's just out of questions to ask.

"I don't know. Middle-aged, I guess. I don't know."

"Fred's parents are young. They had him when they were 17."

So we're back to the subject of Fred. How do I allure her away from here? "That's young. You know what else is young? This cookie. You want a cookie?"

"Not a fan of Fred, I presume?"

"It's that obvious?"

Cecilia grabs the 'young' cookie and starts munching away. She eats a lot. She weighs like…nothing…which I get to experience in person when she leaps onto my back, so I can carry her. "My feet hurt. And you're strong, aren't you, Anthony?"

"Well, I am right now. Are you happy now?"

"Thrilled. I'm having a blast. Adam would only double over. For being the best player on the ice, he's surprisingly easy to knock over. But he's quite strong when he has his skates on. Much stronger then me. So I leave him alone out on the ice."

"Maybe his strength is in his skates?"

"Or maybe he's just not custom to standing on real ground? He's mostly out on the ice. He lives there. But seriously, he is freakishly strong. It's scary. And if it was Charlie, he'd dump me off in some mud or something. I hate when he gets all big brotherly on me. He's a freak too."

I carry her around, while she's slapping my shoulders whenever she wants to change the direction. "You know, you could just ask me."

"I know, but this is so much more fun. Roligt så in i helvete."

"You said that word again."

"Could you put me down?" she begs, moving around so I have to drop her down on the grass. "Did I hurt your back? Fred just tosses me around whenever he gets tired of transporting me all over the world."

"A weak sucker, huh?"

She slaps my arm, chuckling. "He's strong, just not Anthony strong. You're my hero."

Why did that make me all dizzy? "Maybe we should go see that movie anyway?" If I'm in the dark, she wouldn't see me love her so much. Like, I mean.

"Or we could go to the beach. They have sharks here, I want to spot one."

"I think we have to go somewhere else besides to the beach to see them."

"I was just kidding. Sharks scare me. Cookies don't. I'll go get another one."

"You want some money?" I offer.

"I'm not broke, Anthony. I'm just like you." Ouch, another issue I should stay clear off. I'm not sure, but I suspect she's feeling inadequate because Fred has money, and she doesn't, because she can't be that wealthy. Not to be mean, but she doesn't wear anything that gives off the impression of wealth.

She rushes away towards the cookies, leaving me alone with her belongings. Or at least that ragged backpack she's refusing to go anywhere without. I have to go through it. I'm curious. She only has uninteresting stuff. The only thing I notice is that her cell phone looks rather expensive.

"Fred gave me that."

Uh-oh, busted.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snoop around. I was looking for... gum?"

"It's okay," she smiles. "I got that for my fourteenth birthday. I never use it, because I'm afraid I'll loose it or break it. I told him not to buy me anything dyrt. But he just did anyway."

"'Dyrt'? What's that?"

"Oh, expensive. Sorry. I do that sometimes. I should teach you some Swedish. It could come in use," she laughs.

I nod. "You should."

"Just kidding."

"No, seriously, teach me. I promise to... I don't know. I'll save a dance for you later."

"You've already promised me that."

"Oh. Another cookie?"

"Fine."

We both lie down on the grass, looking up at the sky. It's a clear blue day. Sunny and shit. Far too lovely. It would be perfect, if she'd only been my girlfriend for real. Man, I just can't let that go, can I?

She keeps ranting random things for me to repeat, and I'm just speaking without paying much attention to what I'm really saying. Until she sits up and slaps her hand into my stomach. "Hey, you know what?"

"Besides from severe internal bleeding?" I moan.

"We should head down to the beach anyway."

"More surfing?" I tease.

"No, I want to see if there are any shells. My Mom loves those. I want to give her one. Or several. Come on!" she exclaims, getting up. No, I'm too comfortable here. Don't wanna. But then she pouts at me, looking adorable. Damn.

This time, she doesn't run. She holds my hand, her fingers brushing against my skin. My God, Anthony, it's just holding hands. Not making out. Although, I wouldn't mind...no, Nicholson, you ass, focus.

We walk through the sand, away from the market. Then she forces me to pick around for those shells. I don't know why I'm doing it. She's just giggling, kicking sand at me. So I kick back. Until we both start throwing sand instead of searching for whatever it was. I consider tossing her into the ocean, but I change my mind. Think of the mess.

I wrestle her down in the sand, and she tries to get away. Then she laughs, putting her hand on my cheek. "What happened to the platonic friendship?"

I know she's joking, but I get a weird feeling anyway. "Uh, sorry."

"Hey, I was kidding, honey. But I think I found a shell."

Honey? "Yes, I think I'm lying on several."

"No, that would be me."

"Sorry."

She wipes some sand off my face, smiling. "What's your last name?"

What a weird question to ask. Shouldn't she know that by now? But I don't recall knowing about her last name either... "It's Nicholson."

"Like the actor?"

"I guess. What's yours?"

"It's stupid. You know, you're a great guy. Lex was lucky to have you. Why did you break up?"

Ouch, we're getting into the heavy subjects. Well, I could always ask something major back if I answer this. But still... "Has Lex ever told you about her Dad?"

"Sort of. Well, not me personally, but I know."

"While we were going out, her Dad didn't really like me. Well, he disliked me a whole lot, actually. And that was before she had the guts and emotional strength to stand up to him, so we broke up."

"So if it hadn't been for her father, you'd still be together?" she replies, looking horrified for some reason.

"Probably not, I mean, it wasn't all that serious. You go out with people, sometimes a lot of people."

"I don't," she objects. What did I say wrong this time? "I've only been with Fred."

"Thanks, I know. Haven't you broken up once?"

Cecilia starts to shift underneath me, and I'm painfully reminded that I'm lying on top of her. I'm too close. I should move. "Of course, but we never dated other people. And we only break up for a day or two."

"That's healthy."

"Hey, it's none of our business how we do things! And Fred would never leave me because of some stupid fear of his father," she snarls. Now we're getting out of hand. And she's attacking Lex, only instead of physically, it's verbally this time.

"Maybe his father doesn't beat him black and blue all the fucking time. So it's not the same, Cecilia," I snap. I don't know why she's so upset, but she gets tears in her eyes. Maybe I shouldn't yell?

Her reply comes out as yelling too, so I'm not the only angry one. "Yes, he does! He does too! So you shouldn't talk like Lex is the only victim, because she's not!"

"What? What does he do? Who does?"

"Fred's Dad does beat him, but no one knows about that, because he doesn't tell the world. He doesn't want any sympathy, but I know. Because I've seen how he looks when he comes back from home. So fuck you, Anthony, go to hell if you're gonna hold that against him."

"I'm not holding it against him! But damn you all to hell if you're gonna be calling Lex a coward! She's not even half her father's size! At least Fred can get away!"

"What would you know about it? Huh? Maybe he can't! Maybe he's afraid too! Maybe he puts up with it to save his brothers. Don't judge him!"

"Has Fred ever been beaten so badly that he's been found lying on the kitchen floor in the same position two days later!? Lex almost never woke up that time! Lay off her!"

"I wouldn't know, because he never tells me anything! He's just fucking miserable all the fucking time. He's not even himself anymore. He's just... He keeps drinking, and messing, and yelling at me for no reason. I wish he could stop that. I wish the yelling would just fucking stop!" she cries, tears rolling down her face. They hit the sand, making small marks.

This makes me calm down a bit. I didn't mean for her to start cry. "Well, I can't make the yelling stop...why are we yelling, anyway? Why don't we both stop yelling? Cause we're so close you're hurting my head."

"Promise you won't use this against him. Because if you do that, I can't do much else but hate you. Just because he gets abused doesn't give you the right to use that against him because you don't like him. So please don't, it's not fair. I do feel bad for Lex, and I don't hold that against her, and neither should you do to Fred."

"I'm not! I didn't know, I swear to God. I'm sorry, I really didn't know," I assure her. It's true. I'm sorry. I just hate it so much when she goes after Lex the way she does sometimes. I love Lex so much, along with the others, and I just hafta stick up for them. I mean, Lex didn't even do anything this time. I was the one who made her angry, why is she taking it out on Lex and not me? I had no idea Fred was abused, or is abused, and even if I'd known, I never would've used that against him. No matter how angry I was. Somehow I feel sorry for him. I shouldn't, but I can't help it. I always hate when Lex gets treated bad, and if Fred has to go through even half the amount of beatings, I can't help but feel bad for him. I'm a good person, and no one deserves to live like that.

Cecilia sighs deeply. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said that. He doesn't want anyone to know. Don't say anyting, 'key?"

"Jag lovar." [I promise.]

"Hey, you talked in Swedish!"

I lean forward and kiss her on the cheek. "We shouldn't fight," I suggest. "Let's just forget the whole thing. I'm sorry, you're sorry. That's it. No hard feelings."

"Wow, it's that easy?" she mumbles. I grin, knowing that her version of a fight is a bit more violent then this…and probably a lot longer.

We really resemble a couple now. We've had our first fight, and we survived. And our first kiss, but... Okay, I'm going to count that as a real kiss. Even if it wasn't. Hey, it's my dream. I can do whatever I want.

We roll around in the sand for a while longer, messing around. Not messing like that, just... messing. When I'm finally done tickling the life out of her, I pick her up and we both start to jump up and down to get rid of the sand. "This is fun," she cheers, leaping into my arms again. "You wanna grab some dinner? It's almost 1:45. I'm starving."

"You just ate!" I laugh.

"Pretty please? I'll love you forever."

Okay then. "Sure."

She looks a bit confused, she probably just realized what she said, so I don't wait for any apologizing rant from her side. Instead I take her hand again, because I like holding it, and we go look for some diner. When she's eaten a hamburger, God knows how she managed to do that, she's content and drags me along to the street where all the stores are located.

I hope she won't shop for more clothes. Not that she spent too much time in there yesterday, but it was a pain to have to wait for her, and then look at her wearing all those outfits. I had to say something, except from drooling. I don't know why it got to me, because when I think about it, she's not that sexy. Now I'm being mean again. She's got some more down-to-earth look going on. Not even natural beauty. Just... she's special, simple as that.

Her legs are too. Oh, I'm getting off the subject.

"Where are we going?"

"I have to buy my Mom a card. Wait here."

She leaves me to entertain myself. I expect her to be gone for about half an hour, but she comes bouncing back just five minutes later. "That was fast."

"Yep, I didn't want to look around."

"Utmärkt." [Excellent.]

"Look, you're learning. But you pronounced it wrong."

"I've only been speaking Swedish for what, two hours? Give me some credit!"

"Let's head back home."

Sounds good. I have a feeling we've been gone for too long. Fred must be climbing the walls. I hope he is. We get on the bus, but this time there are a lot more people on it. The crowded environment makes Cecilia edgy, and she crawls up into my lap. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, don't think so. Did you write something nice in that card for Mommy? Or should I say 'mamma'?"

"You're learning way too fast. Say mama."

"Eh?"

"Sorry, inside joke. I should invite you home for Christmas. You'd love it."

That would be nice.

"That would be nice, yeah."

She leans her head on my shoulder, sighing. "Haven't been home for a while. I miss Mommy…and Daddy."

"How bout your brothers?"

"Sure, I miss them too. But nothing compares to your parents, right? I wonder what David and Marcus are doing? Probably chasing girls…or torturing their friends…or getting laid. Yuck, why did I bring that up?"

I just smile. "And the little one?"

"Dying, preferably."

I don't have time to ask why her brother deserves to die, because we're back at the hotel. Or at the bus stop in front of it, anyway. Cecilia tears herself away from me, still clutching my hand.

Never let go. Please don't let go.

I'm reminded by some song. I can't really remember where I've heard it, or what it's called. But I can't get it out of my mind. When she's gazing at me with those brown, affectionate eyes, I can't help but wish that she was my girlfriend. That she was mine to look after. I could love her just as well as Fred can. I could take care of her. Make her smile. Sleep next to her, make her feel good.

But she doesn't notice me that way. And even if she does, Fred is still there. She loves him. It's obvious. But I still can't get that melody out of my mind.

"she rolls the window down  
and she talks over the sound  
of the cars that pass us by  
and I don't know why  
but she's changed my mind

would you look at her?  
she looks at me  
she's got me thinking about her constantly  
but she don't know how I feel  
and as she carries on without a doubt  
I wonder if she's figured out  
I'm crazy for this girl  
yeah, I'm crazy for this girl

she was the one to hold me  
the night the sky fell down  
and what was I thinking when  
the world didn't end  
why didn't I know what I know now?

would you look at her?  
she looks at me  
she's got me thinking about her constantly  
but she don't know how I feel  
and as she carries on without a doubt  
I wonder if she's figured out  
I'm crazy for this girl  
yeah, I'm crazy for this girl

right now  
face to face  
all my fears  
pushed aside  
and right now  
I'm ready to spend the rest of my life  
with you

would you look at her?  
she looks at me  
she's got me thinking about her constantly  
but she don't know how I feel  
and as she carries on without a doubt  
I wonder if she's figured out  
I'm crazy for this girl  
yeah, I'm crazy for this girl."

And Cecilia lets go of my hand, letting me enter the doors first. I'm crazy about her. Why can't I tell her I am?

She's leaving tomorrow. This was my last chance. We won't have another chance to be on our own anymore. I won't get to hold her hand, or be close to her. I'm such a coward. And she's leaving and I'll never see her face again. Or her legs. I won't get to spend time with her. I won't even get to bicker with her. She's leaving for good.

And that's it.

***

**Julie's POV **_(starts slightly earlier)_

"Where are Anthony and Cecilia!?" Matt rages as he does up the last button his shirt, and comes flying down the stairs.

"Relax, Matt, relax," Sammie soothes, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"They're going to make us late!" Matt continues howling.

"Anna!" Jeff calls from next to me, "help me with this damn tie!"

"What are you trying to do, Jeff? Strangle yourself?" Anna smiles, as she fixes the knot he's managed to tie around his neck.

I feel a twinge of jealousy. He could have asked me, I'd have fixed it for him. But he's not paying attention to me, like he has the whole trip, and I guess I could stand not being his focus for five minutes. 

We're all standing around, waiting to going to this ceremony, to find out how well Jeff and his friends did at their concert, and if they won. They seem more nervous now than they did before the concert, at least from what I can see.

"Lex!" Chris bellows up the stairs, "Are you coming!?"

"Coming," Lex says, appearing at the top of the stairs and starting to come down. On around the third step down, though, she trips. Fortunately, Fulton, who was heading up the stairs to get something he dropped, caught her before she fell down the whole flight.

"Whoa, slow down there, wild child!" Fulton laughs.

"Ouch…thanks, Fulton," Lex mumbles, then smiles up at him.

"No problem," he grins, letting her go.

"Where's Anthony?" Lex asks, getting down the stairs without further incident.

"We don't know," Matt says through gritted teeth and a voice of forced calm, "he's not back yet."

"Where'd he go, anyway?" asks Guy.

"Shopping or something…" Jeff says, checking his watch. "Dammit, Anthony, where are you?"

"Right here," says Anthony, walking through the door with Cecilia right behind him.

"About damn time! Go up and change! We're gonna be late!" Matt shouts, losing all control of his temper.

"Late for what?" Anthony asks. I think Matt would have strangled Anthony had Sammie not jumped on his back and pulled him backward. Anthony's eyes went wide with understanding as he watched Sammie hold onto Matt. "Oh shit!" he swears, turning to run up the stairs. "I totally fucking forgot!"

"What a surprise," Chris mumbles, rolling his eyes.

"You should change into something too. You know, something clean," Connie says to Cecilia.

"Oh," she says. "Hey, Anthony, wait up!" and she follows him up the stairs. He waits for her at the top, and then they head for their rooms.

"Damn that guy and his crushes," Jeff mumbles, and I giggle. He smiles guiltily and says, "I didn't really mean that. Not really."

"I know," I tell him. He loves Anthony like a brother. He talks about his friends all the time.

"You know, Julie," he says, taking my hands, "I really like you, and I've really gotten to know you on this trip. I love spending time with you, and I was just wondering if you'd like to-"

"Save it for after we win, Jeff," says Anna, grinning. Damn! He was gonna ask me to be his girlfriend, I know it! Dammit Anna! Dammit fucking bullshit ass! I love swearing. It makes me feel better…except I don't do it much, because at school you get yourself in trouble that way.

"Ready, let's go," Anthony appears at my side. He's changed from his t-shirt and jeans to a pair of khakis and a button down shirt.

"We have to wait for Cecilia!" Fred speaks up for the first time, looking alarmed.

"Relax, Fred, we wouldn't leave without her," Anna smiles.

"Yes, we will if she takes much longer!" Matt exclaims.

"No, we won't," Anna says, glaring daggers at Matt.

Matt looks like he's going to cry two minutes later when Cecilia finally comes down the stairs. "Great, she's here, let's go!" 

"Sorry I kept you, let's go," Cecilia says.

"How long will this take?" Adam asks.

"Uh…no clue, really. It can't take _that _long. I mean, only a few hours at most," Chris says, shrugging.

"Matt," Sammie says, "Carry me. I'm tired."

"You should have gone to bed earlier, then."

"Please carry me, Matt."

"We're only walking to the bus."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"_Please?" _

Finally Matt picks her up and throws her over his shoulder, careful to make sure his shoulder is digging into her stomach. 

"Ouch! Matt, you jackass, that hurts!" Sammie wails.

He ignores her, and continues walking. She eventually pinches him, and they start to bicker. We follow them out toward the bus.

Charlie puts his arm around Lex, dropping a light kiss on her head. Lex looks at Chris, who rolls his eyes, and Lex laughs. Jeff puts his arm around me, and grins really big at Anthony, who now rolls _his_ eyes.

"Sure, Delricci, rub it in," Anthony mumbles, walking by us and catching up with Luis and Goldberg.

On the bus, I sit down next to Jeff, and Portman and Fulton are on the other side of the isle. Connie and Guy are behind us, and Luis and Goldberg are behind Portman and Fulton.

I can hear Averman talking to Anna in the seat diagonally in front of us, all about hockey.

"I play center and sometimes right wing," Averman tells her.

"Cool. I like hockey," Anna says. "What position does Banksie play? Isn't he supposed to be the best or something?"

"Yeah, he's the best, and he plays center…usually first line."

"What's your favorite pro-team?"

"The Minnesota Northstars."

"They're not the Northstars anymore, though, right?"

"No, they went down to Dallas. So really, I guess my favorite team is technically the Dallas Stars. But I don't call them that. I still call them the Minnesota Northstars," Averman says. "Mike Modano still plays for them, and he's my favorite player."

"Cool," I hear Anna say.

"Yeah. I met him once. Coach Bombay took us to meet them in pee-wees."

That conversation continues for a while. Jeff is looking out the window. He looks kind of tired.

"What's up?" I ask him.

"Sammie! Sit still!" I hear Matt say.

"Eh? Oh. Nothing, really, why?" Jeff replies, looking at me.

"You look a little out of it."

"I am a little out of it. Tired, really, that's all."

"Hey, Sammie, cut it out!" Chris's voice drifts to the front of the bus.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired," he says, looking away from me and back out the window.

"OUCH! MATT MCDOUGAL, YOU JACKASS!" comes Sammie's hollering voice. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

Everyone turns around to look at Matt, who's got Sammie in a headlock.

"A public service," Matt says, grinning at all of us. "Why are you all looking at me like that? She wouldn't sit still!"

This seems to be acceptable for everyone, and they turn back to what they were doing without going to Sammie's aid. Sammie is now laughing as Matt's holding her while Chris tickles her. 

Lex gets up from her seat beside Charlie, directly in front of us.

"Where are you going?" he asks her.

"Behind us. Don't worry, I'll be back," she says, and walks the two steps over to where I'm sitting.

"Julie, do you mind if I talk to Jeff for a minute or two?" 

"Go ahead."

"Alone?"

"Uh…" I'm about to say no, that I really don't want to move and be away from Jeff, but Jeff isn't staring out the window anymore, doesn't look tired all of a sudden, so I finish my 'uh,' with "Yeah, sure."

I take the seat Lex was occupying in front of me, and Lex sits down behind. I try very hard to eavesdrop. Wow, I sound like a real bitch. But I'm not. Just curious.

"Hey, Jeff."

"What do you want, Lex?" Jeff asks, sounding annoyed.

"What do you mean 'what do you want'? I want to talk to you."  
"About what?"

"You know about what. I owe you an explanation, don't I?"

"You bet your life you do."

"I know I did something that you don't really approve of, Jeff, and I'm really sorry. I was drunk, ya know?"

"This happened more than once though, didn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Were you drunk then, too?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then I really want to know why you didn't tell me. You're my best friend, and it's my job to take care of you, you know that. It's the one promise I really, truly keep in life, ever since, ya know, that time…"

No, Jeff, I don't know. What time? I notice Charlie listening from besides me. 

"Yeah, but I didn't need to be taken care of this time," Lex says.

"Lex, do you know how bad you looked when I found you?" Jeff asks.

"Found me?" Lex snorts, "You broke in."

"Blood everywhere," Jeff continues without bothering to acknowledge what Lex says, "bruises! You were lying on the kitchen floor for two days! You need to be taken care of sometimes!" 

"But this time, I knew what I was doing, I was happy, it felt good, what's the problem?" Lex says, sounding upset. At this Charlie smiles, but Jeff's voice comes before I can elbow him.

"That _is_ the problem, you dumbass, you don't know what you're doing! You wouldn't be beaten within inches of your life if you did! You're too young for shit like this!" Jeff says loudly, drawing attention from Anthony, Fred, and Cecilia. Fred and Cecilia are in the seats in front of Charlie and me, Cee on the isle and Fred by the window. Anthony is across from them.

"Jeff, I'm only two months younger than you, and could you please stop talking about that time, please?" Lex sounds like she's trying to be rational, and on the verge of panic. 

I notice Anthony and Cecilia listening carefully, while Fred looks a little lost. Anthony throws a look at Cecilia here. Hmm, I wonder why? Cecilia mouths, 'Jeff found her?' and Anthony nods. Wow, those two must have shared something huge recently.

"It doesn't matter! You're only fifteen and in _way_ over your head! What if you catch something from him!? What if you get pregnant!? Did you use a condom, at least!?" Jeff yells, not bothering to keep his voice down anymore.

"What do you take us for!? Idiots!? Yes, we used a condom! And Charlie doesn't have anything, as it was his first time too!" Lex shouts back. 

Charlie, Anthony, Fred, Cecilia, and I aren't the only ones listening anymore. Matt and Chris stop torturing Sammie, and the three of them look towards us. Anna stands to get a better view. All the Ducks are listening now, too. What is with our group and public yelling, screaming, and brawls? 

I find it interesting that when Lex speaks she refers to herself and to Charlie, and when Jeff speaks, he says 'you' and not 'you guys' or 'both of you'. It implies he thinks the whole thing is Lex's fault, which of course it's not. I'm not really biased either way; it's none of my business anyway. If I was biased it would be for Charlie. But hey, it's sex. It takes two to tango.

"So fucking what, Lex!? Are you trying to get yourself into trouble!? Cause that's right where you're headed!" Jeff hollers.

"Who are you!? My brother Robbie!? What I do in the bedroom is none of your business! Do I go lecturing you about what you do with Julie!? And whenever I do ask you anything, you clam up and don't tell me! How am I supposed to be a good friend to you when you won't tell me anything!?" Lex yells. Hey, hey, hey. Why bring _me_ into this?

"This isn't about me! And I never did anything with Julie! You're the one who just jumped into bed with someone! Not me!"

Chris has come over. "Come on guys, cut it out."

"I didn't _do_ anything!" Lex whines. "This is Jeff being an overprotective, jealous freak!"

"Overprotective, jealous freak, huh?" Jeff's voice is deadly quiet, and has lost its anger.

"Yes," Lex says, her voice now quiet as well.

"Sorry I care, Lexie, sorry I care. Next time, I'll just let you get beaten, or screwed, or whatever the hell else you get yourself into, and not do a damn thing. Cecilia can take your head off, Fred or Charlie can screw you over, your dad can hit you, you can get HIV, and I won't do a damn thing. I won't care at all," Jeff says, and looks out the window again. 

Lex sounds like she's going to cry now. "No, Jeff, I'm sorry, please, Jeff, don't be mad at me, please." He doesn't answer, and continues gazing out the window. Lex starts crying. Not sobbing, but tears running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Jeff, really I am. Please don't be angry with me, Jeff, I want you to care. Please, Jeff…"

He looks at her again, and there are tears in his eyes now too. "I'm not angry at you. I just worry about you," he pulls her out of the seat and into his arms. "I couldn't just not care, Lex, even if I wanted to, you know that. I just worry because…well, you do dumb shit sometimes."

"I'm sorry," she mumbles, crying into his shoulder still.

"I know. That's all I needed to hear. I don't mind you slept with Charlie, anyway," he smiles. 

She looks up at him. "You don't?"

"No, of course not! You were after him for long enough anyway!" he smiles. "I was just annoyed that Adam and Cecilia found out before I did. Could you tell me, first, next time, please?"

"Yeah, I think I can do that. I'm really sorry, Jeff," she says, hugging him.

"It's alright," he smiles. 

For a moment, nobody says anything. Then Lex looks at Jeff again, and they both start laughing. Nothing's funny, but the both of them are hysterically laughing.

"What the hell…?" Russ's voice was puzzled.

"I don't get it either," says Fred.

"Do you ever get anything?" Luis asks. Fred? Get things? Not usually, no.

"He's not the only one lost," says Goldberg. "I'm a little confused myself. What just happened?"

"Yeah," Dwayne says. "What's up with y'all?"

"We had a fight," Jeff smiles.

"Shouldn't you be upset or something?" Adam asks.

"Not for long," Lex smiles, wiping tears from her eyes. This time, though, they're tears of laughter.

"Wow, those are much shorter than your fights," Guy says, nodding toward Fred and Cecilia.

"Yeah, well, what are you gonna do? The pair of them shout a lot then crack up laughing. Some fight," Cecilia says.

"And it was violent-less," Kenny laughs. 

"A classic Lex and Jeff moment," Anna says, rolling her eyes. "Their fights aren't long and usually don't end up in anything other than hysterical laughter."

"Does that make sense to anyone?" Fulton asks.

"It doesn't have to," Portman says in a somewhat sharp voice.

"What do you mean?" Fulton asks, giving Portman a dirty look.

"I mean," Portman begins to explain, seeing the look on Fulton's face, "it doesn't have to make sense to us. It works for them, doesn't it? If it works, why mess it up? If they're happy, and nobody's hurt, they should have that."

Everyone just stares for a minute, including me. Wow, that was incredibly deep, coming from Portman.

"Wow, deep words of wisdom from Portman," Averman says. Was I not _just thinking that?_

"See? I'm not the single biggest jerk in the world," Portman says, smiling. Connie throws a candy at him.

"So I have your permission to have her?" Charlie asks Jeff.

"Yeah. But don't you hurt her, or take advantage of her, or cheat on her, or hurt her in any way, cause I'll kill you," Jeff says seriously, and Lex elbows him.

"We all will," Chris throws in for good measure, gesturing at himself, Matt, and Anthony.

"I promise," Charlie smiles. "And you gotta be good to Julie or the Ducks will come after you."

"What are you going to do? Quack at me? No, I'm just kidding!" says Jeff at the look on Charlie's face. "I wouldn't even dream of hurting her," Jeff grins at me, and I feel myself blush.

"Glad to hear it," I tell Jeff.

"So is everyone all better now?" Connie asks.

"Yes, therapist Connie," Sammie says. "Everything's fine."

"Good thing too," Guy says, standing up as the bus comes to a halt, "because I think we're here."

We get off the bus, and head inside. Jeff takes my hand.

Lex is lucky to have Jeff, I decide. Lucky beyond her wildest dreams. It must be a good feeling, having someone you care for the way Lex and Jeff care for each other. I wish I did.

Then Portman picks me up and spins me around, forcing me to let go of Jeff's hand, but it's worth it, to hear what Portman says. "He won't hurt you, but if he does, we'll kill him," he winks at me.

I take it back. I don't wish I had friends like Lex and Jeff. I'm glad I do. They might be gay, or stupid, or argue a lot, or quack, but they're my friends, and they're all I got.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
lyrics borrowed in this chapter:  
'Crazy For This Girl' -Evan and Jaron


	30. A Perfect Day?

hey everyone, chapter 30. read and review, ok? we _finally_ find out if Lex, Jeff, and friends won their contest.

disclaimer: Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Matt, Anthony, Anna, Chris, and Sammie belong to NYgoldfish54.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
**Chapter 30: A Perfect Day?****  
By NYgoldfish54 and Cimmy**

**Dwayne's POV**

We get off the bus at this big place. I don't know what else to call it, as there are no signs saying what this place is.

"Russ, where are we?" I ask.

"I dunno, Cowboy," Russ answers.

We're all dressed in clean, bordering on nice, clothing. 

I happened to be there when Jeff and friends were telling us to dress nicely for this ceremony.

"You guys have to dress up nicely, or at least, put on clean clothes," Jeff had said.

"Why?" Adam had asked.

"Cause we don't want to look like complete slobs," Jeff had said.

"What would we have to wear?" Fulton had asked.

"Nice shirt, nice pants. A tie would be nice, but it's not necessary," Chris had said.

"A tie? Nice clothes? How about not?" Luis had said.

"How about we kill you if you don't?" Matt had said in mock sweetness.

Nobody else objected after that.

So here we are, walking into this big place. Once we get to the inside, I realize that it's the same place that the concert was at. It's different when it's sunny and not all crowded and loud.

Chris and Anna are leading us through the seats to the section reserved for us, and Averman is close behind Anna. Lex and Jeff are walking together, talking quietly. They don't look like they're arguing, as both are smiling. Their explosion on the bus was a little out of character for them. That's more of a Fred and Cecilia type thing to do. Or a Charlie and Adam type thing. Or a Charlie and Cecilia type thing. Has anyone noticed the Charlie/Cecilia pattern? Anyway, it's not really a Lex and Jeff thing, and so when it happened, nobody really knew what to do. Even Matt and Sammie looked a little lost on what to do. Good thing Chris was reasonable enough to get up and go over there.

I like Chris. He's calm. He's reasonable. He sticks up for his friends, but shows more patience then Matt. Matt's kind of scary when he gets mad. Chris is just kind of silently furious. Matt yells a lot and seems to lean towards violence for solving problems. I think his self control is better than that, though, because no matter how badly he's wanted to, Matt hasn't actually hit anyone this week. Anthony has, but I think it's a more of a one time thing.

When we finally get to the seats we're supposed to be in (two rows, one after the other, 12 seats in each) our hosts and hostesses let us go in first. Lex, Jeff, and Chris sit on the end of the row where I'm sitting, and Sammie, Anna, Anthony, and Matt are sitting in the row in front of us.

"Matt, you bastard, you're too tall!" Lex says from directly behind him, "Switch with Anna! I can't see!"

"Yes, Your Worship," Matt grins, and switches with Anna.

"Hey! I can't see now!" says Jeff.

"Ya know what Jeff?" Matt says.

"What?"

"Cope."

Jeff hits Matt in the back of the head. For whatever reason, this causes Anna to start laughing and Sammie to pinch Matt. Chris pulls Matt's short hair, Anthony then punches Matt's arm, and Lex reaches over and pulls on his ear. 

"Ouch! Why are you all picking on me?" Matt whines.

"Cause you're the biggest," Anna says, reaching up to pull on Matt's nose. He tries to bite her hand, but without much success.

"Well, their behavior is…odd," says Kenny, looking around. The place is starting to fill up, and the people around us are throwing us dirty looks. Lex, Jeff, and company don't seem to care though.

"Who's going to be here? Is it a full crowd, like last time?" I ask Jeff.

"Nope, it's just supposed to be the people who competed," he answers, before yanking Lex's hand away from Matt's ear and flicking it himself.

"Ouch! Lex! Stop!" Matt yells.

"It wasn't me!" Lex raises her hands in a defensive gesture.

"It was me," Jeff grins, and then ducks as Matt swipes at his head with his hand.

Half hour later, the non-Ducks are still being obnoxious to one another. The place is about as full as it's going to get, because this guy comes out with a microphone onto the stage. The band falls silent rather quickly, and the Ducks follow suit.

"Musicians, guests, friends, family, welcome," the man starts. "Over the past weeks, we've been listening to young artists from around the country…"

The man drones on and on for who knows how long. I just know it's a long time. I notice Fulton has dozed off, Cecilia and Portman are getting restless, Adam keeps checking his watch, and Connie is about to bounce right off her seat. Lex's head is on Chris's shoulder. Jeff is staring off into space. Matt's arm is wrapped around Sammie on his left, and his other arm is around Anna on his right, and both are resting on him. Anthony's head is propped up on his hand. Even they're bored, and they're the reason we're here! I look around at the people I don't know; other bands and such. They all look bored and drowsy too.

"…And so, that brings us to why we're here," the man on the stage says. Everyone perks up a bit, and the man continues, "But first we have a few awards to give out to outstanding individuals who outshined the others in these individual categories. If your name is called, please come up and say a few words."

And so it began. At first everyone was very attentive, but soon none of the band we gave a damn about was winning anything.

"Let's go," I hear Jeff say, "we're not winning any of these stupid single award things. Don't you think they'd give us one if we were that good?"

"I agree," Sammie says, "I feel stupid and like a loser. Let's get outta here." The others nod in agreement, but I mentally shake my head. Sammie you're not a loser. You're beautiful…

"Hey Charlie," Lex whispers over me, "we're gonna get going. We're not gonna win anything today."

Before Charlie has a chance to say anything though, Goldberg jumps in. "What do you mean we're leaving?"

"I mean, we're getting back on the bus and driving the other way," says Lex. "We're not gonna win anything today."

"What!? We're leaving?"

"Well, yeah, that's the plan," Anthony says.

"We've been sitting here for three hours and you're not going to let us see who wins!?" Portman exclaims just as applause breaks out for 'Outstanding Percussionist'.

"Jeez, I didn't think about that," Jeff says, looking guilty.

"Keep your ass down in that chair, we're going to find out who wins whether it's you guys or not!" Portman orders loudly, and the 'Outstanding Percussionist' stops talking from the stage to look over at us.

Jeff looks shocked, but keeps his ass down in his chair. "Yes, Sergeant Slaughter," I hear him mumble.

The 'Outstanding Percussionist' has reclaimed his seat, throwing our group really dirty looks.

"This is taking forever," Anna says. "I'd rather be dong something remotely interesting."

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for," the man who's been up there for three hours says, "who'll open up for the Rolling Stones next summer?"

"Finally," Lex mutters. "The only way this could be any longer is if they run through the list of nominees like they do at the Academy Awards…"

The man opens his mouth again, "And the nominees are…"

He runs through the thirty six bands competing.

"Great. I wonder if they'll have lost the envelope too?" Lex murmurs.

"And the winner is…wait, it seems I've lost the envelope…"

Lex opens her mouth again, but Jeff claps his hand over it. "Don't say anything," he warns her.

"Oh yes, here it is, I dropped it," the man continues. "And the winner is…"

I can see Lex, Jeff, and friends tense, and even the Ducks sit up in anticipation.

"Oh, ladies and gentlemen, it seems we have a problem," the man announces.

Why am I not surprised? The whole room is silent, everyone focused on the speaker.

"For God's sake, what is it _now_?" Chris yells loudly. Lex whacks his arm.

"It seems our real winners cannot win," the man says, obviously clueless as too who made Chris's comment, as he's looking the complete opposite direction of where we are.

"Who won then?" some guy with sunglasses yells from the other side of the room.

"Who cares? It's not us," Jeff mumbles.

"Well, our real winners are the Teabags, but not," the man says.

Nobody speaks for a moment. Then Anthony stands up. "What? Repeat that, please?" he yells.

"The Teabags!" the man nearly screams into the microphone. A whole section of people behind us somewhere start screaming and yelling. Anthony turns to look at his friends.

"The Teabags?" Anthony asks over the screams. "We didn't beat out a band called the Teabags?"

"But the Teabags are ineligible to win," the man yells over the crowd, and the noise immediately stopped. "It seems that they bribed their way here."

Just then, another man comes running out on to the stage, handing the first man another envelope.

"Quiet please," the man says to the crowd. I don't know _why he's saying that, as the whole place is nearly silent already._

"It says here that The Teabags were the original winners until yesterday when it was revealed they bribed a DJ to let them into the contest. The DJ came forward last night. The Teabags were apparently terrible at their first audition, and were lip-sinking through their performance here, which, of course, had to be live. The officials sent me out with yesterday's envelope. The winning band of the contest is Suspended Motion! Sammie Blackburn, Jeff Delricci, Anna Eukovich, Matt McDougal, Chris Mitchell, Anthony Nicholson, and Lex O'Leary! "

Silence reigned for a few moments, and the band that had been screaming, presumably the Teabags, snuck out the back way. And then, Adam came to his senses, and started to clap. Luis and Charlie joined him, and pretty soon, everyone was clapping, cheering, and jumping up and down.

We've been sitting here completely bored for three and a half hours, and let me tell you, it was worth it, to see the looks on the band's faces. There are no words for the complete surprise, and delight on their faces as Lex, Jeff, Chris, Matt, Sammie, Anna, and Anthony made their way up to the stage, in a tight bunch. I notice that Lex is clinging to Jeff, like the bus ride never happened.

After a quick conference, Jeff stepped up to the microphone.

"So, this is what it feels like to win something?" he says. "It's a good feeling. I can't tell you how many hours we put into this band. It's been five years since we started, and well, we've been through a lot. I remember when I could play a C-chord, and that was it. Matt couldn't keep a beat, and every time Chris blew in his saxophone, a squeaky noise came out. Lex, Anna, and Sammie were all off-key, and Anthony was about as good at keyboards as the Teabags," Jeff says. Everyone chuckles here, and Jeff waits a few seconds for it to stop. "We were pretty bad. We fought. Honestly, I can't tell you what has given us the will and determination to stick it out to this point. I think it's because we're such good friends. There's nobody else I'd rather spend my time with than these kids, my best friends in the whole world. The friends and family that we have here-" he looks at us very intently before continuing, "-and at home, supporting us have made the difference too. When you've got people like the people we have in our life, well, you're pretty lucky. Maybe that's it. In fact, I'd say I was positive that our friends made the difference. But what do I know? After all, I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band."

I smile, because I know that's a line to a Moody Blues song. 'I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band.'

The man hands Jeff some papers, and he and his friends get off the stage. 

"To all the bands that competed, you were wonderful, congratulations to Suspended Motion, and have a nice day everyone!" the man says.

Everyone's getting up to go. We all make our way back to the bus, congratulating our friends.

On the bus, they all sit close together, talking quickly and excitedly. I'm excited for them, I'm happy for them, and I bet the rest of the Ducks are too.

Because Jeff was wrong. Even if he was joking, he's not just a singer in a rock and roll band. He's a good friend. They're all good friends. And that's a great thing.

*******

**Lex's POV**

The celebratory drinks we're sipping at are beginning to drain out. We're all gathered in the big Jacuzzi down at the spa. There is room for us all, with the exception for Cecilia, who's sitting on the edge with only her feet in the water. She would fit too, but she has some sort of fear about water…and possibly of having a good time.

I feel all wired and crazy, but I'm trying to control it. Very hard. I don't want to drive everyone nuts. I'm just so thrilled we won. Ok, so we were technically beat by the Teabags, but yeah, they cheated. So it was us. Not bad for a bunch of misfits, like my dad called us when we were first practicing and sounded awful. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I tell him I'm leaving for the summer to go on tour and going straight to school afterwards. I think I'll have a phone near by, though, so that way I don't have to move much to dial 911. 

Charlie promises to get me a new drink, and the rest suddenly disappear within seconds. The word 'alcoholic beverage' can make anyone go crazy tonight. Fred leaves too, after hastily yanking Cecilia down in the water. She splashes water at him, but doesn't get up.

Now it's just her and I. She has her drink, I bet it's tequila, and I have some of my drink. We avoid each other for a second; the awkward moment makes me wish I'd gone with Charlie to order on my own. But I guess it was just a sneaky plan to get us to interact. Everyone was probably in on it too.

"So, on a scale from one to ten, how much do you actually hate me?" Cecilia asks.

I have to laugh, because she sounds so serious. "I don't hate you at all. Look, we both did some stupid things last week. Let's just forget about it and move on."

"Sure?"

According to me, it's already in the past. I have new things to worry about now. "Of course! You're my friend, and you're Jeff's friend. We can still hang out and stuff."

"Let's not eat cake together for a while," she suggests, taking a sip from her drink. I nod, smiling at the comment. She's is weird, that girl…but in an entertaining sort of way. "Are you really going out with Charlie?"

Actually, I'm not so sure about that. Charlie is sweet, even though he gets crazy from time to time. But he hasn't asked me out yet, he just assumes that we're a couple anyway. Things don't work like that in my opinion. "I don't know." There's also the fact that I'm not convinced that Cecilia is the right person to talk to about this.

"Do you like him?" Cecilia continues, her eyes have a strange glimpse that I can't read. Somehow she makes me feel like we're in elementary school, discussing boys at the playground. Although we're in high school, discussing boys in the Jacuzzi.

"A little. Why do you ask?" I shrug, trying to decipher her intentions. Is she going to try and drown me? It wouldn't surprise me. Although she probably won't attack me again, now when she knows that I'm stronger then her, which by the way, surprises me, since she's a hockey player. But I guess she has other strengths out on the ice then just... strength.

There's a long silence between my question and her answer. "Did you really sleep with him?" she mumbles. I'm not sure if her question is out of curiosity, because she sounds almost sad when she asks.

"Why?" I reply, coming off as a bit grouchy. I can understand why she wants to know, though. Charlie is the captain, and one of her friends. Of course she wants to know if I'm being serious with him or not. But she should really corner Charlie about it instead. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound grumpy. I'm just not sure why you're asking me this."

"I was just curious," she mumbles. "Can I tell you something?"

"I guess. What's up?"

Cecilia moves, seeming uncomfortable. I hope she won't start a fight. I don't have the patience for her yelling today. I've never argued with her before we came here. This trip makes everyone go insane.

"I just need to talk to someone, and you're the only one who..." she starts, but her voice trails off until she becomes quiet. I wait for her to continue, because she's awfully serious about this. I hope nothing's happened. "Was it your first time?"

Now she's getting a bit too personal. "Why do you ask?"

"I know it's none of my business, I just need to talk. I just want to know how it was, because I sort of slept with Fred." She says all this really fast, with her voice low as a whisper.

"I thought he was a virgin," I exclaim, without thinking. Maybe I shouldn't let her know that I know that. And why did I even say that? Fred is not supposed to be on my mind anymore, now when I have Charlie. Something about her statement makes me sad, still. This must be how Fred felt during dinner yesterday. Without the anger, of course.

A new silence settles, while Cecilia swipes her drink in one movement. She's the nervous one; I'm just a bit perplexed. Why would she want to talk to me?

"He was. It's sort of a recent event. And since I know that Connie is sort of a virgin, and Julie is too, you're the only one I know who's done it. Besides from me, of course. Did that make sense?" she rants, talking rapidly. It did make sense, even though I barely heard it.

"So, he's not... You're not..." How do you have a conversation about this when it makes you uncomfortable? "When did this happen?" Fred told me only a few days ago that he hadn't had sex, so it must've been during this week.

"You know that day we fought?" she asks, snorting into the empty glass. I have to finish my own drink too, if I'm going to be able to have this talk with her. I nod, smiling. Like I could forget that! I still have that bump on my neck to prove it! And her face is still covered with bruises, now having the shade of purple instead of black. "It was the morning right after we slept together. That's why I cut my hair, I think. Not solely, but it was one of the reasons. That's why Fred freaked out like that."

Well, that explains that part. When I think about it, I heard her sob something about sleeping with Fred during that fight. I just never paid attention to it, since I was busy trying not to kill her. I wonder if anyone else heard her say that? Or if no one else but I knows this? "And you need to talk about it?" I mumble, stating the obvious.

"Is your brother really going to force you to go to a clinic when you get back home?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah, probably. Why is that such a surprise?" I wonder, looking around for more drinks. One part of me wants the others to come back real soon, but another part wants to listen to what Cecilia has to say.

"You're really supposed to do that?"

"We New Yorkers are cautious about these kind of things, you see. So you don't end up with any diseases or unwanted pregnancies," I explain, shaking my head. Isn't that obvious?

Obviously not to Cecilia, because she still seems disapproving of this fact. Maybe they just don't think like that in her country? "Even if you used protection?" she asks, insecure about what I just told her. Did she sleep during sex education?

"It's just something you should do," I say, smiling to keep her from freaking out. "To be on the safe side, you know, to check that everything is okay."

I can see that she's got more to say, but instead of talking, she gathers some bubbles from the Jacuzzi and plays with them for a while. I smile at her childish behavior. No wonder she's so insecure about sex, when she can't even talk about it. "Did Charlie ask you out?"

"We went to eat dinner, that's all."

"Why did you sleep with him?"

Oh, jeez. "Eh. It was sort of a drunken mistaken. But a good mistake. No regrets. We both wanted to do it, so it wasn't anyone's fault," I tell her.

"It hurt, though, didn't it?" she goes on, biting her lip. This is a statement, not a question. I can imagine what she wants me to answer.

"Just a little. It was pretty nice, actually. Better then I imagined. It felt good."

"It did? How good?"

"Really good," I say, blushing a bit. Cecilia doesn't seem to notice that, however. She's occupied moving around in the water, looking in all directions but my. "You don't regret sleeping with Fred, do you?"

She shakes her head, finally calming down. "No, I'm just... I just assumed it was the same for everyone. But I guess it's not." There's something about her voice that makes me doubt that she knows exactly what she's been doing. Maybe she had sex with Fred to get him to stay with her? To get him to choose her? Oh, Fred, you jerk. How could you do this to her?

"Well, I guess it's different, but... Did you tell Fred about this?" I ask, giving her a look of concern.

To my surprise, she laughs in my face. "Fred? About what?"

"About how you feel," I say. "Did you tell him about what you're telling me? Did you tell him that you thought it hurt?"

For some reason, tears well up in her eyes, threatening to pour down her face. "I did. I mean, he asked if it hurt, and I said that it did, but then I pretended that it was okay anyway. Maybe I shouldn't have done that..."

"You should tell him the truth," I suggest, moving closer to her. "He probably feels weird too. If I'm the only one you've talked to, imagine how lost he must feel."

"I don't want to tell him that. I don't want him to feel bad about it, because I know that he liked it. I know that he didn't hurt me on purpose. It just hurt when he... You know. I was bleeding too, but he never noticed, so I didn't tell him. That's why I needed to talk about it. I didn't have anyone else but you to ask."

"I totally understand that," I say. Fred probably knows more then she thinks, he's not completely lost. I'm just confused about why he hasn't asked her about this. He's slow, but he's definitely not stupid. "I'm glad you told me. This means we're not enemies anymore."

Cecilia laughs at me. It's amazing how fast she can shake off things like this. Although I'm sure she's just acting, but right now, I just want her to smile. It's her last night here, and I'll be damned before anyone spends this night feeling miserable. Not on my watch! Not when I'm so high on life! We won! WOOT!

"I guess not," she giggles. "I was afraid to talk to you, with the fight and everything. But you were such a good friend to me all year, and I was hoping that you wouldn't be too angry with me. I just thought that you didn't want to talk about this, since it's about Fred, and I know you liked him."

The sudden urge of asking something back hits me. "Can I ask YOU something? Now when we're done with avoiding each other and so on."

"Yeah, sure."

"Do you like Anthony?" The question has been bugging me ever since I talked to him. He likes her, which is obvious. I'm just not so sure about her. She seems to like him, and Matt told me what she had been saying to him after our fight. Jeff also filled me in on what had been going on in his room, the night before I found her in his bed.

"How do you mean?" she asks suspiciously. "I'm with Fred now."

"No, I meant if you like him, just in general," I try to cover up. "Like a friend."

This time she grins. "Yeah, of course. He's so cool. I can't believe that he wants to hang out with me, because he's like way more interesting than I am. And he knows all these things, and he does all of these cool stuff, like surfing and..." She gets quiet when she sees my pointed look. "Uh, I mean, he's like a really cool older brother, who you have to admire. Like you with your brother, who's also very cool."

My God, I've never heard anyone say the word 'cool' so many times without taking a single breath. "Anthony's your older brother?"

"Well, not really, but he's... I don't know. He told me all these things about his family and asked me questions about my life, and he really listened when I talked. I mean, Fred does too, but it's not the same."

Anthony must've really swept her off her feet with his behavior. She speaks even faster now, with a wide smile smacked on her face. Maybe I should remind her about Fred? I'm starting to get some unpleasant vibes about all of this. Why did I have to ask?

"So, you like him as a friendly older brother?" I state, trying to get her to stop ranting about Anthony's good sides.

"Yeah. I have my own older brothers too, but they're not as friendly. They're nice, but not overly nice, like Anthony." If she mentions his name one more time, I'm going to scream. Anthony has a huge crush on her, and that's the difference between his overly nice attitude and her brothers' behavior.

At least she doesn't look sad anymore. More like hyper and cheerful. I've accomplished a lot in three minutes. I try to think of how many different emotions she's been showing since we were left alone, but I loose count.

Charlie comes back, handing me my drink. "So, you look alive and healthy. And no one's bleeding or anything. Good girl," he says, patting Cecilia on the head. She makes a grimace at him, rolling her eyes at me. I just laugh. If anyone's her older brother, it's Charlie.

Fred also shows up a minute later, almost repeating the same thing as Charlie just said. Don't they have any faith in us? The others also arrive, straight from the bar.

While Cecilia is busy fighting with Ken over a green umbrella, I scoot over to Fred so I can talk to him. He gives me an amused look. "What's up, Lexie?"

"Unless you want me to call you Freddie, drop the 'ie' after my name. Only Jeff's allowed to call me that," I joke, smiling at Charlie, who's busy trying to drown a babbling Connie.

"Fine," Fred replies, also smiling.

So, how do I bring this subject up? "When are you leaving?" I start.

"Tomorrow at 8:00, or 8:30. If I can get Cecilia to wake up at that hour," Fred says, then he laughs a little. I'm not seeing the fun in what he just said, but maybe I'm not supposed to.

"Where are you going?" I continue.

Fred shrugs. "I haven't made up my mind about that yet. I figure I can just choose any departure I want when I finally get to the airport. I've never been to Japan."

He's obviously kidding, but I giggle anyway. I think it's the alcohol. "Have you talked to Cecilia about it?" I go on, finally getting somewhere. Fred shakes his head, throwing an eye at his girlfriend.

"Nah, I get to decide this. If I ask her, she'll make us end up at some weird place, like in the jungle." Yep, it sounds like something she would do. Of course, I wasn't talking about the location of their trip.

We sit in silence for a while. Well, _our_ conversation is silent, we aren't. I talk to Jeff, who's busy hugging Julie. Fred is speaking to Adam, disregarding Portman, who's yelling 'Bonnie' all over the place.

Suddenly a few of the people decide to get going. There's a disco up in the club, which we were planning to go to later, and some of them wants to be there early. Jeff leaves me when Julie drags him along. So I'm just forced to take up my conversation with Fred. "Cecilia told me that you slept together," I explain, the words slipping out without a warning.

At first he just stares at me. Maybe he'll get angry because she told me? It doesn't sound like him, but who knows? But I know that it's cool, the minute he blushes. "She did?"

"Yeah," I mumble. There are still a few of our friends left in the Jacuzzi, so I can't be too loud about this. "But I'm the only one who knows."

"Oh. Well, maybe you're right. Why did she tell you?" Fred asks, looking nervous and embarrassed.

I have to swipe another drink before I reply. "She asked me about Charlie..." Fred gets even more uncomfortable when I mention Charlie, but I keep going anyway. "Then she told me about the two of you. Why didn't you tell me?"

Of course, I never expected him to share that sort of information with me. We are after all not that close friends. Especially not since we've both had some sort of weird crush on each other. Or whatever the hell it was. "I didn't think you'd want to know," he announces quietly. Bingo, my thought exactly.

"Well, if you don't want to talk about it..." I shrug, hoping that he won't tell me, because I'm not sure I want to know everything about that strange relationship he's got going on with Psycho. Sorry, Cecilia.

"What did she say?" he interrupts.

"Just that you had sex. She asked me about a few things, nothing major. You have talked to her about it, I guess?"

"Sort of."

"Talk some more," I suggest. "I really think you should." I'm probably giving him an annoyed stare, because he becomes even more nervous.

"What exactly did she tell you?" he murmurs, gazing at me with his serious, brown eyes. Oh, jeez, O'Leary, get a fucking grip. "Could you please tell me? It'd mean a lot to me."

Sure, I'm here to solve your crisis. That's my job. God, he irritates me sometimes, to the point of me wanting to rip his head off. This is just how it felt every time he spilled something over our lab-report. At least he apologized about that. He even bribed some guy behind us to do the report for us, so we could pass the assignment. That's his way of solving problems. I don't even do that!

This time, his money can't help him. I assume. "Has she told you how she's feeling about this?"

"Yeah, a little. But..." he does the same thing as Cecilia, letting his voice trail off until he becomes silent. It's an annoying thing to do. At least it doesn't take forever until he proceeds. "I know there's stuff she's refusing to tell me. I've asked, but she just tells me everything is fine. Did she tell you anything?" Just like Cecilia, he also overuses words, but instead of 'cool', it's the word 'tell'.

"Talk to her," I urge him. "Seriously, Fred. Don't let her shrug you off like that. She really needs to talk. You're right, there are things she's not telling you. You desperately need to talk. Not tonight, though. You have all month to sort this out. Let her be happy for now. You owe her that much."

Fred rolls his eyes. "I owe a lot of people a lot of things. I'm sorry I asked you, I shouldn't have done that," he sighs. "Forgive me?"

"Always," I smile. "Always, Fred."

I was right. He knows about those things Cecilia mentioned. I bet he knows a lot more as well, he can read her in a way most people can't. So, I've been playing his guardian angel for a while now. I think it's time to forget about his problems and go do something else.

Charlie slips over to me, while Fred disappears over to save Cecilia from Portman. "What was all that about?"

"Are you jealous?" I raise my eyebrows, but I have to smile.

"Not at all. Fred's nothing compared to me," Charlie states, placing his arms around me. Now he's being that overprotective Charlie. I'm glad Robbie's not here to see this. Charlie's teeth would be back in Minnesota before he is.

Anthony seems to realize this, and nods at me. "Be careful, Lex."

"Hey, I know what I'm doing," I point out.

"Yeah, sure," he snorts, splashing some water at me.

"I do. Do you?" I challenge. Anthony gives me a tired look. "You know, Anthony, to convince me otherwise, you have to say something."

He laughs. "I know. I'm just not going to fight about this, since you're obviously wrong."

"This coming from you, who spent all day with Cecilia?" I shoot back. "Haven't you had enough alone time with her?"

"Two days, Lex. What's your point?" he mutters. I decide to be nice, so I leave Charlie's arms and crawl over to Anthony.

When I finally get him to look at me, I put my hand on his shoulder. "You know, they're pretty serious."

"I know."

"Very serious. They slept together." It pains me to have to tell him, but he's a good guy. He deserves to know the truth, so he won't get his hopes up about something so impossible.

But I'm the surprised one. "I know," he mumbles. How could he possibly know that? Cecilia couldn't have told him. Well, she could, but in that case she lied to me earlier when she said that I'm the only one she'd talked to. And Anthony couldn't have figured it out on his own. He's not that clever.

"How did you know that?" I ask, noticing that Charlie has overheard our entire conversation. He doesn't seem too approving of this, even though he shouldn't talk. He's just as bad himself…and I've got the used condoms to prove it. Haha, I'm sick…well, I didn't _keep them, they're just in the garbage upstairs._

"She told us, the night she came to our apartment. She was fighting with Matt, and I don't think she meant to say it because she had been drinking a bit, so it just slipped out. Jeff cut them off before they started fighting for real, but I assumed she was telling the truth. So I know."

Did I miss something important? Why didn't Jeff tell me? He told me everything else! I'm obviously the last one to know, at least when it comes to our little group. I wonder if Sammie and Anna know it too? It wouldn't surprise me one bit. All the guys know, and no one cares to fill me in on this?

"Why didn't you tell me?" I hiss.

"We figured it would make you sad, and you really didn't need that before the performance, and then we just forgot about it. They did, I still remember it, but..."

Charlie taps me on the shoulder. "Lex?"

"If you're going to be mad, could you be mad someplace else?" I beg. "I'm busy talking to Anthony."

"Why didn't anyone tell ME?" Charlie exclaims. "They're my players!"

"Because it would make you freak out, over-exaggerate, _and yell?" Anthony suggests. I shake my head at him to just leave it. I take Charlie's hand and push him back to the other side of the Jacuzzi._

Portman almost smashes my arm when he gets up to leave. I quickly remove it, while he's grinning at me. "Sorry, didn't see you there," he excuses. "You're too small. You should gain some weight. For hockey tryouts, I mean."

I wave him along, waiting for Fulton to get up too, until I put my arm back. I need all my body-parts if I'm going to have a chance in the hockey tryouts. I snort at the thought. Me? Play hockey? Ha! I can't even skate! Maybe I'll get Charlie or Adam or Portman or someone to teach me someday…

Anthony leaves as well, grabbing Sammie so he can have some company. He's probably tired of watching his crush giggle at Fred's stupid comments. Charlie doesn't seem to want to leave. Maybe he's still sulking because no one told him about the latest news? "Hey, you wanna go dance?" I ask. "We can order some more drinks."

Charlie looks a bit suspicious, but agrees to this. Still, he won't move. What does he want? I won't carry him there! "Come one then," I say, pulling his arm.

While Charlie is being quiet and moody, I look over at the happy couple. Well, no, that would be Guy and Connie, but they've already left, so Cee and Fred have to jump in as the replacement couple. Fred is watching her while she talks about something. I can only understand every other word.

"Maybe you shouldn't drink anymore," Fred laughs, his arms around her. Yuck. Cecilia shakes her head, almost knocking over the glass that is placed on the edge. "Yes, I think so."

"I'm fine," she promises, although she sounds a bit slurry. "I'm not drunk. Just a bit tipsy."

"Yeah, because if you were drunk, you'd be sleeping by now," Fred smiles. Then he turns to us. "You wanna go upstairs to join the others?" Both Charlie and I nod, while convincing Adam, Ken and Russ to come with us. We're the last ones. Cecilia is not the only one being a bit tipsy, though. I'm not totally sober myself, thanks to those drinks I had to order to be able to talk to Fred.

Well, it's better being tipsy then drunk, as Fred pointed out. Cecilia is actually not as drunk as I first thought she was. When she's really hammered, she can't talk and make sense at all, and she can barely walk without falling. Now she's just being upbeat, skipping and talking really fast. Charlie is clearly annoyed with her, but I don't mind. It's better then when she's hostile.

Cecilia and I go to change into our clothes, while the guys go to the other changing-room. For once, she's not wearing her trademark outfit; jeans and black, so I decide to comment about it. "I like your sweater," I say, feeling a bit dumb. Cecilia shrugs, but smiles. She usually never handles compliments very well, and since she never wears anything new, she rarely gets them.

Maybe she's not answering this time, because she's not actually wearing a sweater. She's trying to get some clothes on, and I'm pretty much complimenting her ribs. "Thanks, I guess." Cecilia quickly gets dressed, while I'm lingering behind, shaking my head at my own stupidity.

I'm actually amazed when she's finally dressed. I don't think I've ever seen her wear anything but jeans before, with the occasional hockey gear thrown on sometimes. I just never thought of her as someone who wears makeup or skirts, despite the fact that she's a girl. "Where did you get those clothes?" I ask, sounding suspicious, but it's unintentionally.

Cecilia beams, trying to keep her balance when she puts on her shoes. "You think I borrowed this from Connie, don't you?" she giggles, throwing her hands out to the sides, spinning around. Wow, she's never done that either. "I had to buy some new jeans the other day, and Anthony suggested..."

Ah, the never ending rant about lovely Anthony. His family should adopt her, so she can have her precious big brother for life. I wait for her to stop explaining what Anthony 'suggested' to open my own mouth again. "He told you to buy that?"

"No, he said I should buy something nice for tonight. He even lent me the money. But I'm going to pay him back, of course!" Cecilia waves her arms around.

She _so _has a crush on him. Or she's just _very tipsy. "You look good in that. You should dress like that more often," I point out, just to be nice. Well, not just to be nice, but I have nothing else to say._

"You're much more beautiful then I am. Even Fred thinks so," she snorts, but is still smiling. Ouch, that comment sort of hurt for some reason and I feel uncomfortable. I have no reply. 'Hey, my boyfriend thinks you're more beautiful than me,' will make for a nice, awkward silence. But surprisingly, Cecilia just continues, and there is no silence. "And I can't wear a skirt. And I can't walk in these shoes."

"You look fine," I continue. "Did Anthony tell you that?" Help me, my curiosity is taking over again.

"I don't know. Maybe. But he was just being nice," Cecilia states. I watch as she's brushing her hair. It's still quite long. I don't think I'd have the guts to cut my own hair off just like that.

One thing I know about Cecilia's latest outfit is that it's going to make Anthony's head spin. Quite possibly even Fred's. Maybe not so much because of the clothes, but because of her appearance. She's this bubbly, upbeat, adorable little creature. Like a Connie-clone. She's annoying, but in a new, very strange way. I've never seen her so perky before. She usually gets bummed out when she drinks, but now she's bouncier then ever.

About half an hour later, we're all gathered up in the club. I leave Charlie to bug someone else, while I look for anyone sane to hang out with. Instead I find my friends. They are all having a great time, dancing, drinking, talking and just enjoying themselves. I'm glad, because I don't want any more people to fight. Maybe this night will turn out perfect, for everyone? I truly hope so.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

the line Jeff uses during his speech "I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band" comes from the song _I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock and Roll Band) by the Moody Blues._

Yes. Lex, Jeff & Co. won their contest. I worked something in so they didn't win flat out, but I had to let them win. Another reason these couple chapters took so long. I couldn't decide if they should win or not. Finally, after many days deliberation I decided they should, cause I couldn't bare to break their hearts…oiy, they're not real, but I couldn't do it! I couldn't! It'd be cruel! It's a little unrealistic, but oh well. It's mine and Cimmy's story, Lex and Company are my characters, and it's fiction, so screw it.  

Chapter 31 up soon, review for us!


	31. Um, Yeah, Fun, Right?

hey all, here's chapter 31. this story's almost over…we promise! review for us when finished, ok?

thanks to the reviewers!

-Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: see previous chapters

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
**Chapter 31: Um, Yeah, Fun, Right?  
By Cimmy and NYgoldfish54**

**Adam's POV**

We have all decided to spend tonight together, since it's the last time we'll be able to hang out all of us at the same time. And for once, everyone's present. Except for Cecilia, I haven't seen her in a while. We were dancing earlier, but then she bounced off to find Anthony, surprise, surprise. Although I'm busy watching Portman torture his new victim. 'Bonnie'.

"A bet is a bet," Portman exclaims again, stomping his foot to really prove his point.

"Can't I just pay you instead?" Fred asks, trying to whimper himself out of the situation.

I just watch as they keep throwing the same words back and forth a few times. "Bonnie, you lost the bet!"

"Don't call me that! People confuse me with Connie, and that's insulting her," Fred tries, but Portman shakes his head, not falling for it.

Instead he pours up another glass of wine. I still don't understand why we ordered wine, because no one seems to like it. Especially not Fred. Portman has been trying all night to get Fred drunk, and now he's about to succeed. "If you don't do it, we'll never trust you again," Portman explains harshly. "You'll break a promise."

"I don't like wine," Fred speaks up, obviously trying to gather some courage so he can stand up for himself against Portman.

"That's the whole point, Bonnie."

"Seriously, that's getting annoying," Connie says from across the table. "People actually_ are looking for me when you say that. Can't you call him something else?"_

Before this insanity begun, it was Connie, Fred, Guy, Sammie and I sitting around the table. Then Portman showed up, while Fulton was away ordering more drinks. So Portman tricked Fred into some stupid drinking game, assuring him that the teasing would stop once Fred won. Which Fred of course didn't.

I was talking to Connie at the time, while Fred tried to make the stake higher, so he wouldn't have to drink anything at all. Until he'd lost so many times that he either had to drink a whole bottle of wine, or Portman would have to promise not to call Cecilia Psycho ever again. And then Fred lost once more.

God, sometimes he's too stupid for his own good.

Charlie comes up to the table, looking for Lex, and I decide to get the hell away from there before Portman makes Fred cry. Although, Charlie seems to be in a bad mood, so I should probably stay away from him too.

Despite the bitchy attitude he's showing off, I follow him over to the bar to order some more drinks. If I get drunk enough, maybe I won't hear his complaining? "So, how are things with Lex?" I ask politely.

"Shouldn't you know? You know everything else," he growls, trying to finish his drink in one sip. Okay, so he's officially depressed about something.

"I am sorry about that," I apologize. I am sorry; it wasn't very nice of me to air that sort of information to everyone. But I had to say something; I was dying of repressed gossip. "I told you I was. And you were the perfect captain and friend, and forgave me for it, remember?"

He suddenly doesn't seem as angry anymore. "You want something more to drink? I'm buying." Wow, talk about a change in mood. "Champagne?"

I start to laugh, and he does to. "Nah, but another Bacardi would be cool. Or three, maybe?" Since I'm still not sure if he'll punch me later when we get back home, I decide to leave my wise-cracking out of this conversation. I'll save that for later.

"Yeah, or maybe you're just pushing it," Charlie rolls his eyes. I'm surprised when he still buys me my bottle. He even gets one for Cecilia when she shows up a second later. Something must be terribly wrong.

"You wanna watch Portman make hell?" I suggest, nodding towards the table where Portman is still shouting about 'Bonnie'. "He's going to force Fred to drink a whole bottle of wine. Pure entertainment."

"Maybe later," Charlie mumbles. "I have to go find Lex." For some reason, he grabs Cecilia and drags her along with him. He's using her as bait. Where would he be without her? Sane? "Come with me, Psycho. Let's get horribly drunk."

They disappear, and I go back to my other mentally instable bunch of friends. Except for Connie, Guy and Sammie, I'm also surrounded by Matt, Fulton and Ken. "You know what?" Portman shouts, scaring Fred, who looks sort of edgy right now. "I have a challenge for you."

"Whatever it is, I refuse to do it," Fred hisses, sipping on his glass of wine. Then he mutters some nasty things in Swedish, so it's best to stay away.

"You have to act sober," Portman says with a laugh, while stealing something out of Fred's pocket. Fred throws himself after him, but misses and ends up on the floor. "Cool phone!" Portman decides to poke at Fred's cell phone for a while, keeping it away from Fred.

"Give me that," Fred begs, I swear I see some tears in his eyes. Or it could be my sight that's getting blurry.

"You'll get it back when you've finished your bottle of delicious wine. I'll just hold on to this for a while... Hey, can I call home?"

Fred tries to grab his phone again, but Portman firmly shoves him away. "No, you may not call home," Fred whimpers. "I'm almost done."

Portman looks close to proud when Fred forces the last contents in the bottle down his throat. "Oh, goody. Now, go ask Lex to dance. Or Cecilia. But don't act drunk. Be polite and stuff."

"What? They'll notice right away!" Connie laughs, looking at Fred, who's put his head against the table. "Portman, you're not being very nice. You're being a bully. Fulton, tell him to stop."

"Hey, I can take care of myself," Fred exclaims, once again making a dive at Portman to collect his cell.

"Just do it, you baby," Portman sighs. "It's a challenge. You can't turn down a challenge! Don't you know that? Haven't you been part of the Ducks long enough yet, huh? Huh? Huh?"

"Yeah, just give me back my phone!" Fred stands up, but sits down again just as quickly. "I think I have to throw up. I don't like wine."

We all take one step back, just to be cautious. If he put his threat into action, I don't want to stand too close. But he doesn't. He just shoots Portman some evil glares, but Portman looks just as happy anyway. "It's just for fun, Bonnie. Just act normal. They won't notice a thing."

Probably because they are being just as drunk as he is. "Give me back my phone," Fred repeats. And I think he says the same thing in that other language too, because I just assume he is.

"I'll dance with you," Connie offers and gets up. Guy seems less then amused, but moves out of her way when she goes over to grab Fred's hand. "But maybe it doesn't count, since I already know that you have a whole bottle of wine running through your blood."

"I can't act normal," Fred mutters.

"We know, but try," Portman sniggers, shrugging at Connie. "It could count…if you act, too."

I sit down on Fred's empty chair, finishing my drink. "So, what was the bet anyway?"

"I don't remember. But I know that he lost," Portman laughs. How nice, he probably just made the rules up as the game went along. "He lost, and had to drink that disgusting bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. And now he has to act normal for the rest of the evening, or else he won't get his cell phone back. It looks expensive."

Fulton tries to get him to stop shaking the valuable gadget before it breaks. After a short tiff, Fulton succeeds with rescuing the device from a safe death. We all sit down to continue with what we had been doing before Portman showed up.

"Why is there a bottle of wine on the table?" a voice comes from behind. It's Lex, with Charlie and Cee as company. Charlie shoves Cecilia down on one of the chairs, and she slumps down without putting up a fight.

"No reason," Portman quickly says before any of us can explain the matter. "Right, guys?"

We all just nod, not really caring if Fred comes off as drunk or not. If Portman wants to use him for his own personal entertainment, who are we to stop him? Okay, we could do it to save Fred, but it's much more fun this way.

"Where's Fred?" Lex goes on, making Charlie wrinkle his nose. "You guys haven't been mean to him, have you?" She's mainly addressing Matt but Portman is the one who shakes his head. "Oh, good. Why are you so upbeat?"

"No reason," Portman echoes himself.

"You didn't kiss him again, did you?" Lex laughs.

"Of course not. That was an emergency," Portman explains.

"Yeah? Do you always solve emergencies with kisses?" I ask, smiling at the thought.

"Only when he panics," Fulton answers instead. "That's how we got together in the first place."

"No, it wasn't!" Portman objects.

"Well, you've been busy anyway. First it's Fulton, then it's Cecilia. And then Fred. Maybe you should cool it?" Guy suggests, probably nervous that Portman might go after Connie next. For some reason, he looks quite repelled, but I hope it's just because he's thinking about Connie and Portman.

Portman keeps assuring us about how the crisis made him do it, while we laugh and point at him. "I won't do it again anyway. Especially not with Psycho." Cecilia opens her mouth to say something, but Charlie covers her mouth before she gets the chance to. "Though Fred was a good kisser, granted."

Fulton rolls his eyes, shoving at Portman's arm. "I bet. Give back his phone now."

"I was kidding!" Portman grins, ducking for Fulton's next slug.

Sammie appears on my left, tapping my arm. "You wanna dance?" At first I hesitate. Dwayne told us that he likes her, and I shouldn't interfere with his plans. He's nowhere to be seen, though. He was following her around like a puppy just a few hours ago. Maybe he's lost interest?

For God's sake, it's just an innocent dance! I'm just making excuses because I'm too shy to accept. Maybe if I pretend that she's Cecilia? I know her a lot better then I know Sammie. The word 'unfortunately' pops into my brain, but I shrug it away. Cecilia is after all one of my closest friends. Man, that word keeps showing up again.

I let myself be pulled out on the dance floor, where the music, of course, has to change to a slow song. I hope Dwayne isn't somewhere close, or else I'm forced to come up with some stuttering excuse for why I'm dancing with Sammie. Dwayne probably won't mind too much, he's not the jealous type of guy, but I would still feel bad.

Guy is throwing suspicious glimpses at Connie and Fred, now when they're forced to wrap their arms around each other. I guess Guy assumes that Fred needs a new target for his random love affection. Fred's not that bad, so I'd give him a break right about now. Don't we all get a bit confused from time to time?

"He's nice, that guy," Sammie murmurs into my ear.

"What guy?" I reply, still trying to shake off the thoughts of another love triangle.

"Your friend, Dwayne. He's a gentleman, I like that. Do you think he'll ask me out?" she goes on, looking a bit amused. I wonder if she's just joking, or if she's being sincere. I wouldn't like if Dwayne ends up brokenhearted. But she doesn't seem like that kind of girl. I'm just exaggerating because I'm nervous. "He better hurry up in that case. We're leaving in two days."

How did she know about his plans to ask her out? Word spreads quickly around here. I better keep my mouth shut. "Dwayne takes his time. When he does something, he wants it to be done right," I explain, not really sure if I'm making this up or not. I never really know how the others get their girlfriends, and how I ever get around to dating is a big mystery in life.

"Really?" Sammie muses. She seems thrilled about the fact that I just promised her that Dwayne would make a big deal about asking her out. Dwayne is so going to kill me for this.

I turn my attention to Connie and Fred instead. The two of them are right next to us, bickering about something. It sounds like bicker, but I think Connie's the only one who's talking.

"May I cut in?" Dwayne says, making me jump with fear. Oh, no. Although, he doesn't look angry. I should give him some credit, he's such a good friend. Now I have to go and cry, he really startled me... Dwayne doesn't even notice me, his eyes are fixed on Sammie's face.

Ah, young love. I think I have to throw up.

Now I'm abandoned, right in the middle of the dance floor. I'm too stupid to move, so I just stare at Dwayne and Sammie for a while. I can see that she's whispering something to him, but I'm too far away to hear what it is. But he seems happy about it, so I guess my work here is done.

"You have to stand up for yourself!" Connie exclaims from my right. She's also wrapped her arms around Fred's shoulders, but he doesn't seem too excited about that. "Don't let Portman bully you around like that. Or at least bully him back."

Connie is obviously back in her therapist role, now when the vacation is almost over. I decide to leave them both to their destiny, Fred could use some sense kicked into him. Instead I go over and shove at Dwayne. "We need to talk."

"I'm busy. Dance with someone else," he suggests.

"I'm not here to dance with you," I roll my eyes. "I think you need to know something."

Sammie lifts her head from Dwayne's shoulder. "If you want to talk, it's okay. I'll go order some more drinks."

"No!" Dwayne whines, giving me a very icy stare. "Adam is leaving now."

I keep standing behind Sammie's back, mouthing my words to Dwayne, even when he's trying to turn the other way. I find myself spinning around them, desperately trying to get his attention. Which I have, but he's doing very well with ignoring me. Eventually, Connie digs her fingers into my arm, tearing me away from them. "Get your own girl, Banks," she suggests. "Dwayne likes her."

"I'm not trying to steal her!" I wave with my hands to really prove how dramatic I can be. "I told her that he's going to make some spectacular scene about asking her out, and I think he deserves to know that. Think how disappointed she'll get when she finds out that he's not planning anything special!"

"Stop breathing down his neck," Connie says. "He'll figure it out himself. Don't ruin everything for him, you're being mental."

My arm is beginning to go numb, so I yank it away from her. "I hate your nails," I state. "Cut them off."

"How else am I going to get you boys to behave?" she points out, turning back to Fred. They keep dancing, and I keep standing there like a fool on wheels…or in sneakers. It doesn't even occur to me that I could ask someone else to dance with me.

"I don't think I can dance anymore," Fred whimpers. "That wine is beginning to get to me. Connie?"

"Yeah? Please don't throw up," she begs, pushing him away a bit. I step behind her, still with the intention to keep away from his barf.

"I won't," he promises. "I just feel light-headed. I can't deal with wine. I was just going to ask if Cecilia's still here."

The room is crowded with people, but I can hear the Ducks talk from across the room. We're always the loudest in the room, doesn't matter if it's in a club, or at the library. But you seldom get thrown out from clubs. Except for that once, of course. Fine, twice.

Charlie is there, Lex is not. Cecilia is there too, next to Portman, fighting about something. Fighting as in a friendly feud, not really fighting. "She's over by our table," I say. Fred looks up at me, obviously unaware that I was standing here. "You want me to get her?"

"Nah, I'll live," he sighs. "Where's Lex?"

Connie exchanges a tired look with me. "Listen, Fred. You can't keep running after Lex anymore, she's with Charlie now. It's not fair to anyone," Connie explains, her voice is stern.

"I wasn't asking because of that," he answers, sounding irritated. "I just don't want her to talk to Cecilia anymore."

"Why?"

"Because Cecilia keeps sharing personal information about us, to Lex. I'm not sure I like that," he mutters, and now he sounds pathetic. I feel like telling him that, but I won't, for the sake of peace. "Actually, I don't want to talk to her either. They are both giving me a headache."

"That would be the wine," I say, getting a headache too, but from a different sort of 'whine'.

"You know, it's your last night here. Maybe you should talk to either one of them. Preferably Cecilia, since Charlie is already looking like lightning just struck him," Connie advises. "You love her, don't you?"

"She means Cecilia," I point out, trying to be helpful, but Connie elbows me in the ribs. Ouch.

"Of course," Fred replies, blinking a few times. "The room is getting blurry."

Connie shoves his shoulder. "So, what's stopping you? Go, find her! Spend the night with her, talk..."

"Or, you could get laid..." I interrupt, but Connie kicks me before I can continue. "Ouch!"

Connie turns back to Fred. "Ignore him. He's running some sort of anti-love campaign today. What I meant to say was that you should disregard whatever strange things she's done during the past week, so you won't spoil all night. She does love you, either way."

"You think so?" Fred murmurs.

"Of course. Trust me, I'm supposed to be the advisor of the team, remember?" Connie jokes. "But you should probably try and sober up before you get into any serious conversations. It's better to remember what you talked about, then forgetting about it the next day, don't you think?"

Fred just nods violently. Then he puts his head on her shoulder. "Can I do that later? Talk, I mean. It would probably help, but I feel a bit dizzy right now. Very dizzy."

"Sure, take your time," Connie laughs. Then she grabs his face with her hands. "Don't pass out, though. You're too heavy for me to hold on to." Fred nods again, slowly slipping down towards the floor. I have to grab his arm to keep him from falling. Connie leans down to catch him by the shoulders. "Hey, you okay? I was serious, don't pass out."

"I know," he mumbles. "I really don't like wine, it makes me queasy. I can't deal with it, somehow."

"You're not allergic, are you?" I ask, now beginning to get worried that we'll have to take him to the hospital. Wouldn't _that_ just add fun to the evening? Sitting in the emergency room all night, all waiting to see if Fred's going to die from his wine allergy…yep, it practically screams fun!

"No, not to wine."

I put my arm under his and help him up on his feet again. "I suggest you go and sit down. I'm sure Portman will pity you enough to give your phone back."

Fred gives me a doubtful look. "This isn't kindergarten. He's holding that phone hostage until I've embarrassed myself enough." Yeah, probably, but why tell him that?

"We'll look after you," Connie smiles. "So you won't get into too much trouble. And I did help you with your girlfriend, right?"

"Yes, you did," Fred smiles back. He forces himself to stay on his feet, leaning against Connie. She almost falls backwards because of his weight. "Sorry, I'm trying really hard to act normal."

Connie grins and pats him on the back. "You'll be fine. You're a good guy. You just have to work on standing up for yourself, trust your instincts. Go for it."

"Go for it?" I ask.

"Well, it's a pep-talk, stay out of this," she instructs me. "You'll get the girl, trust me."

"I will?" I go on, smiling.

"Fred will," Connie sighs, not too happy about my comments. I should've used them on Charlie, because that way I'd be less annoying right now.

"Thanks, Connie," Fred says gratefully. He lets go of her and stands up on his own. "I'll go get my cell back at once. And then I'll talk to Cecilia." Connie nods, and he leans forward to kiss her on the cheek. For some reason, she turns her head, and their lips collide. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

Fred turns around, just to find Guy standing right behind him. He doesn't look happy. "What's going on?"

"I promise, I was aiming for her cheek," Fred assures him, rushing away and runs right into a table. He falls to the floor with a crash, making us all shake our heads. He's hopeless sometimes.

Guy helps him up again, and I have to give him a hand, in case he decides to slap Fred around a little. Connie just smiles. "I'll just take your word for it," Guy says, rolling his eyes. "Where are you going?"

"I was going to get my phone back," Fred explains, rubbing his eyes. "But then the table showed up."

Someone from our table suddenly whistles loudly, so we all turn our heads up. "Hey! Bonnie! Someone's calling!" Portman bellows above the music. Fred stumbles away from us, trying to get over there as quickly as possible. "It's your Dad!" Fred stops so immediately that he looses his balance and falls again.

"I can't answer that," Fred mumbles when he's finally able to crawl up to the table. Portman is nice enough to hand him the cell phone without demanding a fee. "I'm drunk, he'll notice that right away. I can't talk to him."

"Of course you can, just act normal," Portman says. Fred doesn't seem amused at all, more like worried and concerned. I would too if any of my parents called me up while I was hammered.

"Give it a rest, Portman," Luis hisses, obviously annoyed with Portman. "Leave him alone."

"It was just a suggestion!" Portman exclaims. Then he looks at Fred who's still on the floor, gazing at the phone that won't stop blinking. "I can answer for you if you like."

Fred shakes his head, puts the phone to his ear and answers. "Yeah?"

I have to hand it to him, he manages to pull off how to not sound drunk at all, despite the wine he just swiped. We can all hear that the voice on the other end is sounding angry, but there's no way I can hear what the conversation is about. Well, it's not really a conversation, since Fred is mostly quiet, being yelled at.

Portman shows a tiny bit of regret when Fred finally hangs up. "Hey, Bonnie, is everything alright?"

"Yep," Fred replies, trying to get up on his feet. Portman decides to help him. "Is there anything more to drink?"

"You've had enough," Charlie states. Fred makes a grimace, but doesn't bitch back. "No more drinking games, you hear me? Portman, can you behave?"

Portman shrugs. "I don't know, haven't really tried in a while."

Charlie takes that as an okay answer, possibly because he's sick and tired of us all. He leaves and goes over to the bar. Lex throws an eye at him, before moving over to Fred. "What happened? Was he mad?"

"No, it's fine."

Fred leans his head against the table again, grunting something. He doesn't look up until Cecilia comes skipping, poking at him. "Fred? Is it okay if I go dance with Anthony?"

"Yeah, why not?" he mutters.

"Stay there, don't move," Cecilia cheers. "When I come back, you have to dance with me."

"I thought you didn't dance," Fred says, his head back on the table. "I'll wait here."

"Great!" Cecilia replies, overexcited because of something. Maybe because she's just a loon? "Hey, what's up? Did something happen?" Her voice changes to a more concerned one when she notices Fred's depressed behavior.

"No, I'm just waiting for Portman to buy me some more drinks," Fred announces. "Right, Portman?"

Portman growls and gets up from his chair. Well, Fred is doing a great job standing up for himself. He must be in a bad mood. "So, everything's fine?" Cecilia makes sure.

"Yep. Go, have fun." Fred waves her off, without looking at her. When he finally lifts his head from the table, eyeing her, he grabs her arm. "Your skirt is too short." Even though his words are suspicious, he seems rather content with how she looks. He's probably just surprised about the fact that she's actually wearing a skirt and top, instead of jeans and a sweatshirt.

"No, it's not. It's longer then Connie's," she points out.

"Fine. But come back and get me later. I want to talk to you." I would like to talk to my girlfriend too if she wore that outfit. But I don't have a girlfriend. Maybe I should work on that instead of stalking people?

Cecilia kisses him, bounces away towards the door and disappears. I've never seen her this upbeat about anything. Must be because of the heat. Or because she's in heat. It's something, either way.

Connie looks around for a new victim to terrorize, now when Guy has lost interest again. She spots the lonely Charlie by the bar and dashes off. Lex squeezes Fred's arm one last time before she goes after Connie, to save her from becoming a murder victim.

Now when Portman has lost both his personal yo-yo and his other entertainment box, he's forced to socialize like a normal person. Fulton is being dragged away by Connie, who's back from the bar. Charlie and Lex are gone, so I assume I have to hang out with these people.

Fred also gets up to leave, muttering something about acting normal and getting an unlisted number. When he comes back, he's bought us all drinks. Well, I can't complain about his mood now, can I?

***

**Charlie's POV**

I see Connie running over, and she's about to leap on me when Lex grabs her shoulders and whispers something in her ear. Connie gives Lex this huge grin and bounces away, finally stopping to terrorize Fulton. Poor Fulton. Lex looks at me and smiles. I just scowl at her.

"Come on, Charlie, let go and have some fun," she says. I don't know what to say, so I don't say anything. "What's the matter?" she asks when I don't answer.

"As if you don't know," I mutter, busying myself with my drink.

"Know what?" she looks confused. Is she kidding? I saw her and Fred before. I was sitting right there. She still wants him. He still wants her. And Fred and Cecilia slept together! What the hell else is going on without my knowing? Next thing you know, Portman and Fulton will announce they're homosexuals and that they're dating each other! Oh. Bad example. Nevermind, then.

"Charlie?" Lex prods.

"What?" I growl.

"What's wrong?" she asks in an extremely gentle voice and with a concerned face.

"What's wrong!? What's wrong!?" I explode, "I'll tell you what's wrong! Fred! That's what's wrong! You still want Fred! Fred still wants you! Fred and Cecilia slept together! What else don't I know about!?"

Lex looks rather grateful the music is so loud. Not many people turn around to stare at us. "I thought we'd been through this," she murmurs, looking at the floor.

"Obviously not well enough! You still want Fred! Fred still wants you! You're using me to make Fred jealous! Fred's using Cecilia to make you jealous!" I shout. 

What I was just yelling isn't true. At least, I don't think it is. So why am I yelling this stuff at her? Where did I even come up with it? I guess she was right, before, in that Jacuzzi when she asked if I was jealous. I guess I am.

Lex rolls her eyes. "That's right, Charlie, that's right. You've got it down. It's all one big conspiracy between Fred and me to get into eachother's pants...I'll try talking to you again when you're less paranoid," she spits, and then walks away. 

I'm about to let her go when I see Fred smiling and walking toward her, and my jealousy flares up again. I just can't let her go to him. No matter how innocent they seem, I just can't. If it was anybody else, I'd let her go, but not him. I won't let her go, even if means I have to admit to her- and myself- that I was wrong.

"Lex!" I call after her desperately. She turns to face me.

"What do you want from me, Charlie?" she asks in a tired tone.

"A dance," I say as I walk up to her, grabbing her hands and pulling her toward the dance floor. The first few notes of the song are familiar. What song is this? It doesn't matter. It's a slow one, and that's perfect.

"Um...ok," she trails off, but smiles at me. As the words to the song start, I realize that it's Elton John's 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' and that this is terribly cliché. Great. I'm trying to forget how my whole life is like one big, stupid Disney movie when Lex's voice cuts into my thoughts. "Feeling better now?" she asks, smiling.

I smile back at her, but shake my head no. Her smile fades as the song ends. She pulls me over to a table and shoves me down into a chair. She can be pretty strong when she wants to be. Don't get me wrong, she's not strong like Portman is, but she's strong for a girl. Especially one her size. No wonder Cecilia was in such bad shape.

"What's wrong, Charlie!?" she demands, remaining standing and crossing her arms.

"You were right. I'm jealous," I admit reluctantly, looking down at my sneakers.

"Jealous?" she smiles again, "I knew it. Don't be jealous, Charlie. There's nothing to be jealous of. Really."

"It's not just that," I hear myself saying.

"What else, then?"

"Fred and Cecilia slept together."

"Yeah, and so did we," she says, confusion written on her face, "What's your point, exactly?"

"My point is that they slept together without my knowing! My point is I'm losing control over my team, my life, my friends, and my feelings for you! I don't like losing control! It's not a good feeling for me! And it's not just Fred and Cecilia, it's all of them!"

"Charlie, you can't keep track of everyone all the time. It's too much work. Fred and Cecilia slept together. It's nobody's business but theirs. Just stick with things that you can control, it's easier that way."

"I know, but I worry about them so much. What if they need me and I'm not there?" I ask her. Wow, where the hell is all this deep shit coming from? 

"That's what phones are for. If they need you, Charlie, they know where to find you. I know you're captain and you feel responsible for them, but that's only on the ice. You don't have to take care of them all the time. Besides being close to impossible, it's unnecessary. They're good kids, Charlie. They don't need you every second," she's trying to soothe me, but now I just feel stupid.

"I just hate feeling like I'm out of control," I mumble, looking at my sneakers again.

"You're allowed to be out of control sometimes, ya know. You're only fifteen, almost sixteen. It happens," she says quietly.

"I know, but...I don't know...I'm just so unhappy with everything right now."

"Unhappy with everything?" Lex asks.

"Yeah, pretty much," I say. Oh no. Oh _shit._ As soon as I say it, I realize where this going. I didn't mean it like that...

"You're unhappy with me?" she asks, her eyes very shiny.

"No, Lex, really, I'm happy with you. Hell, I'm thrilled. You're pretty much the only thing I've got going for me now. I'm happy with you," I tell her, smiling. She smiles back at me and wipes her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," I smile. Wow, good cover, Conway. I mean it, too. I hate feeling like I'm out of control, but with Lex it's ok. It's like I'm out of control, but in control…like this I can stop if I want. It's everything else that I can't stop. And that's what sucks.

"Ok, then...hey, Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Want me to make you happy?" she grins.

"Yeah. How're you gonna do that?" I ask in my most challenging voice. I know full well what she's talking about.

She kisses my cheek, and puts her hand on my inner thigh and begins to work her magic. Shit, we're six seconds in, and my body's already reacting to her touch. I'm not going to be able to stay down here much longer...

"Come on," she says, grinning. "Let's go upstairs."

We're kissing, waiting for the elevator in the lobby. I'm already breathing rather heavily, and I hear footsteps.

"Hey Lex!" Fred calls out to her. Dammit, Fred, not now!

"What?" she calls back.

"Wanna dance? We need to talk," he says. Lex stops to look at Fred and smiles. Oh no, not now, please not now, I really hafta get this girl up to my room now. I really want her now, Fred, you can't... really, really bad timing, Fred...

"Um...can't right now, Fred, sorry," she says, smiling at me.

"It's ok, I'll go find Connie, just thought I'd ask."

"She's tormenting the Bash Brothers, if you really want to find her," Lex says, grinning.

"Alright," Fred waves and goes back into the other room.

The elevator opens. I pull Lex inside and the door closes. 

"Where were we?" she smiles.

"Right about here," I say, leaning her against the elevator wall, putting my lips back on hers, and slipping my hands up her shirt.

The door opens and we get out, and I drag her toward my room.

"No," she says, "It's gotta be my room, Robbie will be checking if I'm there."

"What about..." I say, through gasping breaths.

"I stole Anna and Sammie's cards, don't worry," she says, working the lock on the door and pushing it open.

She pulls me over to her bed, and we begin. A couple minutes later, not long after she cries out into my shoulder, I realize that she's trying very hard to tease me. She's not letting me get going, into a rhythm, on purpose. I'm liking it, but if she doesn't let up soon, I'm gonna be yelling for it. It's gonna be a long night.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
We borrowed/mentioned the song _'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' _by Elton John 


	32. Drinking, Dancing, And A Small Crisis

hey, Kristine and Cimmy here. we've updated again, hurray! There's more updates to come, I just have to write a part and edit the others…review for us, ok?

disclaimer: Ducks = Disney's property. Fred/Cecilia = Cimmy's property. Lex/Jeff/Anna/Sammie/Anthony/Matt/Chris = NYgoldfish54's property.

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**Chapter 32: Drinking, Dancing, And A Small Crisis  
By Cimmy**

**Anthony's POV**

"This is sort of spooky," Cecilia exclaims, pushing past me to get into the room first. I'm stunned how big it is. Of course, the very thought of a ballroom is that it's supposed to be big, but still. It could be the darkness that makes it even more huge.

We were supposed to stay down in the club, but then we snuck out from there and made a detour. We decided that we wanted to investigate the rest of the hotel, and the empty ballroom on the third floor seemed interesting enough. At least for me, having her all to myself at least one more time. And she found it utterly exciting, so we went there, on our own.

Since I don't feel like admitting that it actually _is sort of spooky in this dark, deserted, big-ass room, I quickly follow her across the floor. My attempt isn't to show myself off as a coward. I'm twice her size, I should be the hero._

Unreasonable thinking? I so don't believe in crap like that. "I wonder where the light-switch is?" I whimper, forgetting about my other tactic. Cecilia skips away to the middle of the room, then she stops, waiting for me to catch up. "What are you doing?"

"You promised to dance with me," she explains. Yes, I did, didn't I? I must've done that while she was trying on those clothes yesterday. I didn't think of much else but her at that point.

She twirls around again. This room gives me the creeps. And she is too, being so hyper that I might have to glue her to the floor to get her to stand still. I've never seen her like this before. She's adorable, but enormously irritating at the same time.

Cecilia steps up to me and traces her fingers over my arm. "What's with the puppy look? Are ya afraid?" she beams, leaning her head back to look at me.

"How tall are you?" I decide to ask.

"You didn't answer my question," she points out, sounding very firm. Then she smiles at me with her eyes, cringing a bit. "I dunno, like 155?"

"I didn't ask about your weight," I say, frowning. She weighs that much? That can't be right. She almost fits in the palm of my hand, for God's sake.

There is a short silence, while she's thinking. "No, I meant my height," she states, laughing. "I could be taller. Like 1.60."

"How badly do you suck at Math anyway?" I snort. "You're like what, 5'0"? And that's pushing it."

At first she doesn't seem to understand what I'm saying, but then she starts to bounce again. "Ha, you meant in feet! I'm talking centimeters! Or, like meters."

Damn that metric system. "So, you're how tall?" I repeat.

"I'm 5'2", Anthony. At least according to my hockey stats. I have my own hockey card and everything!" she cheers. "We got them when we played in a tournament, but I only have two left. That's probably the coolest thing I've ever experienced."

"You're small," I have to point out to her. She shakes her head, but I keep telling her that she's tiny. We stand there for a while, bickering about the whole thing when suddenly a noise disturbs us from the other side of the room. It startles me, and I swear.

"What was _that_?" she whispers, moving closer to me. I can totally work with this. Too bad I have to prove myself brave by checking out the strange noise. Cecilia follows me, holding on to my arm. "Maybe we should look for that light-switch."

"Yeah, _now_ you have time for that," I mutter. "Two minutes ago, everything was just too damn peachy, but _now_..."

"Don't whimper, it's not very heroic."

"Yeah? And you're tiny."

The scary thing was a chair that had fallen off one of the tables. All the chairs has been placed upside down on the tables, for easier access for the cleaning-personnel. "My head hurts," Cecilia winces, sitting down on the floor.

When I think about it, my head hurts too. "Maybe we should head back. I bet they're looking for us," I say, grabbing her hand to pull her off the floor.

Cecilia refuses, acting like a baby. "You promised."

"Fine, get up then."

She decides to go look for the light-switch behind the small stage in the back of the ballroom. I wait for her down on the floor, hoping that she won't destroy too much property.

Suddenly she manages to get the spotlight to work, right above the center of the room. Cecilia comes climbing back, diving into my arms. "Is that enough?"

"That's just fine," I agree, dragging her out on the floor.

"There's no music," she complains. "Can't dance without music." I never realized how demanding she is. Maybe it's just today, because she hasn't been like this at all during the whole trip.

Whatever crazy thing she's doing, I still like her. I try not to, but it's impossible. "Let's just pretend. You do know how to dance, right?"

"Eh, no. Not really. I mean, Fred tried to show me, but that was a long time ago. But you can learn me."

While I smother my intentions of pointing out that it's 'teach' instead of 'learn', she looks at me with pleading eyes. "I guess I could. You have to be closer."

"Like how close?" she asks, slowly moving towards me. "Where should I place my hands?"

"Can I choose anywhere, or does it have to be specific to the dance?"

Cecilia shoves at me. "Hey, placing hands anywhere but necessary is as forbidden as squeezing my legs," she explains. "No, seriously, where are the hands going?"

I laugh, thinking of at least ten nasty things I could answer that question with. But I decide not to tease her anymore. "On my shoulder. Come on, I don't have all day."

"It's almost midnight," she says pointedly. "We should order some more drinks, I think that would improve my dancing."

"I thought you had a headache," I roll my eyes.

"There's nothing wrong in changing ones mind! Besides, I'm not drunk-"

"Just tipsy," I finish her sentence. "Well, good, because I'm not that sober myself."

Cecilia gives me a suspicious look again, once I've put my hand on her hip. "Now what?" she asks, slipping her hand into mine. I accidentally squeeze her finger, and she whimpers. "That's my injured finger. Could you leave that one alone?"

"Sure," I grin. "I wouldn't want to hurt your finger."

"Seriously, it's injured. By accident. Lex put her knee on it," Cecilia explains. Then she shakes her head, as if to forget what she had been thinking of. "Never mind. Am I close enough?"

Definitely. She's far too close, I'm starting to think that this is a horrible idea. "Yeah, but..." I begin, making her tilt her head to the side, her eyes questioning me. Before I have the chance to suggest that we do something else, she moves closer, her body pressing against my. "I was going to say..."

"You know, we should really have some music," she interrupts. I wait for her to let go of my hand, but she doesn't. "Tell me now, how do I dance?"

I look down, trying to locate where my feet are. I have to push her away to do that, which is a good thing. "Since you have no clue about how to dance, I'll allow you to stand on my feet."

"That'll hurt. I'm not as tiny as you think I am," she says, her voice very matter-of-factly.

"You weigh like nothing."

"I weigh enough," she mutters, I've obviously stumbled upon another very touchy matter. Since Lex told me earlier not to make her angry or sad in any way, I decide to change the subject, but Cecilia has time to continue before I can. "I actually weigh 110 pounds."

For being a hockey player, that's not enough at all. Not according to me. "Are you sure you're using pounds and not kilos?"

"Of course!" she exclaims. "Still want me to step on your feet?"

"No, I want you to stand on them."

By the time we've yapped this through another three times, it's past midnight. I wrap my arm around her waist, barely moving at all. She's obviously tired, because she's leaning against me, just like before. She lets go of my hand and places both her arms around my neck. "I'm sweaty," she mumbles.

"Yeah, it's sort of hot," I reply, knowing that I'll pass out soon, if she's going to stay this close to me. She nuzzles her nose into my neck, tickling me. When she's done with that, she puts her head on my shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Man, she's making me nervous. I don't think I've ever been this close to a girl I really like, without telling her, or doing something about it. "You're shorter then Fred. I have to stand on my toes if I want to put my head on his shoulder like this."

"Okay," I say slowly. This is not how you handle a situation like this. I should tell her. If I don't do it now, she'll never know.

"I wish I didn't have to leave tomorrow," she whispers, still with her head against my shoulder. "I'll miss hanging out with you. I don't have a friend like you back home. Just Adam, and he's always busy fighting with Charlie, or running after some girl. He would never spend this much time with me."

"Yeah, it's too bad."

"If you lived in Minnesota, we could hang out all the time. You know, be really close friends."

That sounds more like torture to me, but why burst her bubble? "I'd like that too. You should come with me instead. To New York." Oops, that just slipped out, I didn't mean to say that.

"That'd be cool," Cecilia sighs. "But I've already promised to go with Fred." She giggles a little. "You should've asked sooner."

Mental note: hit self over and over again with a frying-pan once back at room. "There's always next summer."

"Yeah. You should call me next May. We should do something together. If you want to, of course," Cecilia murmurs, holding on to me real tight, just like that time at the beach when she gave me that hug. Which I, by the way still, haven't been able to forget about.

Things are starting to get a little too intense for me now. Her face is right next to mine, and suddenly her lips brushes against my skin, right above my jawbone. Wait, what is she doing? She drops small kisses over my cheek and down on my neck. Well, it's not really kisses, it's like she is trying to pinch my skin with her lips or something.

"What are you doing?" I ask nervously.

"I just want to remember this moment," she explains, sounding quite intoxicated. "I just need to remember that I was with you tonight, not Fred or anyone else. I need to find something about you that feels really different from him. And you smell good. And your skin is really smooth."

Oh my God, this is not the right way to get over someone by. Even if _she _considers this action as innocent, I'm almost dying over here. She can't taste my skin like this, it's driving me insane. I do get disappointed when she stops, though. Instead she slips closer into my embrace, nuzzling her nose back into my neck, just like she did a couple of minutes ago.

I could so easily turn her face up to me and kiss her. I think I'm almost about to do it, when she opens her mouth to speak. "This is nice," she mumbles. "I really like you. I wish this didn't have to end tonight." I'm sure she has no idea what she's rambling about, she's way past tipsy by now, so I can't hold this against her. Well, I could, but where would that leave me?

I just nod, overwhelmed by the fact that I can still stand up. That doesn't last long, because I suddenly feel dizzy. I really want to kiss her, but just as I'm about to, my feet decide to stumble over each other. The dizziness takes over completely. Cecilia lets go of my neck, so I curse just because of that. "Are you okay? Did you have too much to drink?" she asks, her voice filled with concern. She tugs my hand, trying to get me to follow her over to the tables.

"I'm okay."

Cecilia is determined to drag me over to the other side of the room, and I'm surprised how strong she is. Maybe she really is a hockey player after all? Or maybe I'm just considering her as strong, now when I'm being a bit wimpy myself.

The room keeps spinning for a while, until Cecilia is able to get me some water. I have a feeling she's forced to nurse a lot of hang-overs, being friends with Adam, Charlie, Guy and the rest of the Ducks. And of course her boyfriend, who probably becomes drunk whenever he gets the opportunity to. "Thanks," I murmur.

"Maybe you should go to your room. You want me to get Lex or Chris?"

"No, I'm fine now. Let's just go back to the others. I still owe you a dance."

"We just did that," she points out, splashing some water at my face. I give her an unamused look. "But I guess I wouldn't mind doing it again. Dance, I mean."

Even though I was just recently feeling nauseous, I have a feeling that I'm going to need a lot of drinks to keep up with her tonight. Or forget about her completely, which ever works best. It's unbelievable how a girl can makes you feel so miserable, at the same time as she makes you the happiest person alive.

***

**Connie's POV**

There is so much going on right now. I'm trying to keep everything together, but something isn't right. Maybe I'm putting too much thought into making everybody else happy? Because I've tried hard to get Charlie, Fred and Cecilia into a better mood. Charlie is missing, Cecilia got 'tipsy' and went off with Anthony, while Fred has spent two minutes trying to lick up some vodka from the table, which Portman spilled from his glass.

It bothers me that Guy is behaving like this. The only time he noticed me was when I went to dance with Fred, obliged to 'save' me from the inappropriate kiss. It had been an accident, like Fred said. But it feels good that Guy still cares about me enough to show up as my rescue.

My biggest concern is still about Guy. I've been trying to defy every tiny word of what he said to me earlier. It hadn't been much, but I'm still upset about the thought of him not accepting Fulton and Portman for whom they are.

I never expected him to be one of those guys who has a problem with homosexuals. Not like that subject has ever showed up during a conversation or anything, but I still figured he'd be okay with something like this.

Or I could be over exaggerating. It could be nothing. He's probably just trying to cope with all of this in his own way. It's not like he's hiding from the Bashers, or talks about them behind their backs. He's just confused. My Guy is just confused.

That's why I need to stay away from him right now. He needs to think this through on his own, without having to feel guilty for neglecting me. And Guy hasn't noticed me, as I pointed out earlier.

All of the others seem fine with the thought of Portman and Fulton together. Even those who haven't known them for too long. Lex and Jeff, for example. But they seem like sensible and sympathetic people. Their friends are too; maybe it's some sort of New York thing? Cecilia seems fine with it. And I don't know why I figured otherwise, but Fred doesn't seem to care at all. I don't know why I had him picked as the one to freak out the most. Instead Guy takes the surprising lead in that contest. I should've given Fred more credit, and Guy less.

Yes, this bothers me…a lot. I want to think about something else, because the last week has been wonderful. Besides from the random fights, of course. But I've had a great time. Well, now it's time to find my way back to being everybody's shoulder to cry on.

Tonight is important to me. What if we never meet the band again? Lex and Jeff are still around, of course, but the rest of them? And Fred is leaving tomorrow, with his girlfriend. They won't be back for God knows how long. What if they won't come back? What if they decide to just stay put, elope or something?

Okay, NOW I'm exaggerating. They are still just fifteen years old. When I think about it, Cecilia hasn't even turned fifteen yet. So they'll probably come back eventually. I wonder what her parents say about this? I know my parents wouldn't let me run off with Guy to some strange place for an unknown amount of time.

I leave my pondering behind, while giving my attention to Fred. He's almost passed out, and I feel sorry for him. I want this to be a great last night for everyone. Even for me. So I have to forget about my problems and have a good time. Laugh, like I always do. Smile, dance, enjoy myself. But I do feel obligated to get Fred away from Portman first.

When your friends start to lick alcohol off the table in lack of other things to drink, it's pretty darn serious. "Portman, could you stop badgering him?" I urge with a very firm voice. Portman nods, looking a bit out of it himself. He tilts his head to the side and pats Fred on the back.

Fred lifts his head from the table and waves off a napkin that is stuck to his cheek. "There's no more vodka," he whimpers. Portman extends his own drink towards Fred, but I give him my best death glare, so he changes his mind.

"What happened to the plan to sober up?" I ask Fred, shoving at his limb body. "Speaking to Cee will get more difficult for every minute you keep drinking."

"I'm fine," Fred protests, moving away, without removing his head from the table. His face is in dismay, he looks in pain.

When I first met him, he wasn't like this. Fred just showed up one day, a day like any other. Wow, it sounds like a cliché, but still... a few weeks, maybe a month or so after we won the JV/Varsity showdown. The Ducks were this tight group of old friends, a bunch of compact players, and suddenly Fred comes to interfere with our existence.

I'm glad he did. He's a good friend and he's never violent, like some players are. Okay, he's got a really bad temper, and is probably the most emotional moron I've ever met, but he's my friend and he's someone you can trust your life with. According to me, and most of the Ducks, Fred is just as much of a Duck as we are.

Oh, yeah, and Cecilia too, of course. But she's not as easily forgotten as Fred can be. Obviously.

Fred used to be much more... Well, normal. Shy, friendly, suave, affectionate and caring, treating everyone with respect. Then something happened during Christmas Break, and when he came back, things started to fell apart for him. That's when he started to melt into the crowd, without sticking out the slightest bit. His relationship with Cecilia went downhill, resulting in these last few days of chaos.

He hasn't been like that since we got here. I'm glad, because between all the destruction, he is almost back to his old self again. I only wish he could lay off the alcohol. The last few months have just been filled with parties and drinking for us. You know, you win a game, you have to celebrate. Or someone invities you to a party, and you have to go. So Fred's not the only one who's been acting wild, but he's not a victim at all.

So, yes, that's Fred. He has a good heart, but is a very bad decision maker. I believe it's his parents fault, for screwing him up like that. I don't know the whole background story, but I do know that his Dad doesn't treat him very well. And I know that he takes his father's disapproval hard.

"Connie?" Fulton's voice makes me snap out of my thoughts. I look up, and he motions towards Fred. "Maybe you should check his pulse. He seems defeated."

I shake Fred around a little, afraid that he's passed out for good. "He's alright, he's just resting," Portman explains. Fulton throws him a gaze, which makes Portman look regretful. "Okay, I was wrong. I promise not to force him to drink wine ever again."

"Thanks," Fred says, looking up. "Could you get me some water?"

My escape from the nutty table is well needed. I jump up from my chair and make my way through the crowd of people. The endless line to the bar makes me reconsider, so instead I decide to go down to the restaurant and get some water from there. I crash right into Anthony, who's coming down the stairs from the floor above us. "Hi, where have you been?" I ask. What I can understand, the only thing that the stair leads to is a ballroom. And there's no dance or anything tonight.

"Just looking around," he answers solely. I would've taken it as some innocent act of curiosity, if Cecilia hadn't come stumbling down after him. Now she's not 'tipsy' anymore. She's heavily intoxicated, so wasted that she can't stand up straight.

She falls into my arms, smiling. "Guess what? We were investigating the ballroom! There's no one there!" Yeah, I sort of figured that out by myself. Now it's my turn to be the curious one. I wonder what they have been doing up there, by themselves. I hope for all of our sake's that they haven't been fooling around. It would break Fred's heart.

"I'm going to get Fred some water," I announce.

Cecilia raises her eyebrows at me. "Is he okay? Did he drink too much?" she asks, a sincere concern in her voice. Anthony looks a bit confused, and also tired. I guess she's been as hyper all night as she was before.

She dashes off to find her boyfriend, with Anthony's hand in a firm grip. I want to help out, but I really don't know how to meddle between them anymore. So I just go to find some water.

Guy is standing down in the lobby, all by himself. Now I feel bad, because I forgot about him for a moment. I should support him, talk to him, make him understand. Not avoid him and turn my back against him the minute we have disagreements. "Hey," I say softly. He meets my worried gaze, but turns his head in the direction of the floor again. "What's up?"

"Just thinking." He doesn't sound like he's been drinking all that much. I walk over and tap my fingers against his stomach. He looks up at me once more, pressing his lips together in a pondering sort of way.

"You want me to keep you company?" I offer, my usual tactic to help someone out.

"Why are you here?" he suddenly mutters, pronouncing the word 'you' like I'm interrupting something very personal. His statement hurts me. What have I done?

My eyes probably show off how hurt I really am, and I decide to go. "Fine, if you want me to leave, I will." Guy stops me, by gently putting his hand on my forearm.

"No, I didn't mean to sound angry. Sorry. I was just wondering, since I haven't seen anyone in a long time."

We stand in silence for a while. Then it feels awkward, so I have to say something. "I was going to get Fred some water. He's not feeling well."

Guy shrugs. "Who does?"

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask, moving closer in case he wants to feel needed. Guy shakes his head, putting his hands into his pockets. "Are you sure? I can help."

"I don't need help," he says, sighing deeply. "I just need to come to terms with what's happened these last few days. Do you mind?"

"You're shutting me out."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's not because of you. I love you. I just need some time to myself."

"For how long?"

Guy bites his lip. "I want to be someone who can deal with things like this. But I'm not. Could you let me work things out on my own?"

"Of course. But if you ever need me, I'll be right here. Waiting."

"I know," he inhales. He pulls me into his embrace, I know that he's sad. He's almost making me cry when he behaves like this. We stand like that; he's trying to pull himself together, while I fight back my tears. Another thought strikes me. I hope this doesn't mean that he's breaking up with me. Does it?

"Guy," I mumble. "We're still okay, right?"

"Yes, no doubt about it," he answers quickly. My heart begins to beat like normal again. He scared me there for a second. Guy rubs his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm down. "Water, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go get some, then."

He takes my hand and I follow him through the hallway, over to the kitchen. The restaurant is closed because of the late hour, but there's still a light coming from the room in the back. "Hello?" Guy calls. "Anyone here?"

"Let's just go back," I suggest. Guy shakes his head and opens the door to the kitchen. What was I thinking, running all the way down here to get some water? I always take the long way. What about the short cuts? What about them, Connie?

One woman from the kitchen staff comes walking up to us. "We have closed the restaurant," she says, her voice sounding annoyed. I tug Guy's arm to get him to walk back out with me.

"We need some water," Guy explains, barely responding to my efforts to drag him out. I need to become stronger. Or maybe I just need longer nails? "That's all we're looking for. A glass, or a pitcher of some sort. Preferably cold. Maybe with ice?"

I start to laugh. The woman doesn't, but she obliges to his demand and taps some water into one of the glasses that are standing next to the sink. "Enjoy," she mutters and shoves the glass into Guy's hand.

"Hey, what about the ice?" he speaks up, but I tear him away from there before we receive an answer. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

When we get back, Portman and Fulton are gone. At first I think that they've surrendered to the hysterical atmosphere, but I guess Portman's just escaping 'Psycho' for two seconds. Anthony is by the bar, swiping jelly shots. Yes, Cecilia must be somewhere close.

Fred is still over by the table, I think he hasn't moved since I left. I put down the water in front of him and drum my fingers against his head. "Here's your water, darling."

"Thanks," he murmurs and reaches for the glass. Just as he's about to get his hand around it, Cecilia jumps down next to us, from where is hard to tell. Fred fumbles with the glass and drops it to the table. "Ah, man."

"Oh, sorry," Cecilia grins. "Do you want me to get you some more?"

Fred shakes his head and Cecilia sits down next to him. Portman comes back, this time without carrying any alcoholic beverages. Fulton slumps down next to Cecilia, tickling her until she almost falls off the chair. Sammie shows up with Dwayne, I almost forgot about the two of them. Which also reminds me that I haven't seen Julie and Jeff at all since the Jacuzzi gathering.

Ken, who's been present since we got back from the water fetching, looks to be bored by now. Yeah, looking at Fred drooling on the table can't be too much fun. "Where are the others?" he wants to know.

"Charlie and Lex are probably making out somewhere," Portman snorts. "And I saw Matt just a minute ago. Oh, and there's Russ! And Anna is with Averman over there!"

He sounds too cheerful, so Fred splashes a few water drops at his face. Portman seems to consider doing something malicious back at him, but rolls his eyes in lack of interest. "Let's go dance," Sammie suggests, waving at Ken to get up from his chair. He slowly gets up on his feet, pulling my arm. I just shake my head, not in the mood for dancing right now.

"Okay, so why did we come back?" Portman growls to Fulton. Guy and I sit down, listening to the whining that is provided by the feisty Bash brother. It's just the six of us left, now when Sammie has convinced everyone else to come dance.

Fred wipes some water away from his clothes, sitting up straight in his chair. "I wish the room would stop spinning," he mumbles.

"What did you drink anyway?" Cecilia asks, giggling when Fred splashes some water at her as well. "Stop!"

"Portman made me drink wine."

Cecilia snorts. "So, why didn't you just refuse? You know you can't drink wine. You get sick."

Fred narrows his eyes, obviously not very amused about that comment. I told him to stand up for himself. "Thank you for your indightful ranting."

"'Indightful'?" Fulton snickers. "I think you just proved her right, dude."

"I meant insightful," Fred mutters back, sounding a lot more collected now then he did one hour ago. Cecilia shoves at him a little. "Yeah?"

"What did you want?"

"What?"

"Earlier. You said you wanted to speak to me," she points out. Oh, right, I forced him to have a talk with her. I hope he understands that now is not the time for that.

Portman looks uninterested and takes the opportunity to butt in, as usual. "You know, Bonnie, when Psycho is starting to sound more reasonable then you, it's really time to get a grip. You want some more wine?"

Fred looks at him with a tired expression on his face. Then he opens his mouth to answer, but out comes this long, incoherent nonsense. Cecilia snorts out a laugh, and Portman seems lost. "What did you say?"

"Dra åt helvete, din idiotiska, fladdermusiga apa på två ben," Fred repeats. Cecilia leans in to whisper the translation in Fulton's ear, and he laughs too.

"What? What did he say?" Portman exclaims. "Was it about me?"

"Obviously," Fulton nods. "Just be nice to him."

"Det där var ju ganska onödigt," Cecilia suddenly says in Swedish. [That was a bit uncalled for.]

I rarely hear them speak in their native language, they always speak English whenever I'm around. Fred just shrugs, content about his probably lame insult. "Du skulle bara veta," he says. [If you only knew.]

Fulton shakes his head. "You can't be here if you're going to talk gibberish. How would we know what you're talking about?"

"I do know that it was about me!" Portman howls, looking outraged that someone has the nerve to speak about him without him knowing what it's about.

"Lugna ner dig," Fred mutters.

"He told you to calm down," Cecilia explains. "Fred, you can stop now. There's no need to give out instructions they can't understand."

Fred mutters something again, but under his breath. Cecilia starts to bounce on her chair. "Did we have to talk, or can I go find Adam?" she asks, almost knocking over Fulton's drink with excitement, just like she almost did before at the pool.

Fred closes his eyes, looking tired. "You can go, I'm a bit under the weather. I'll meet you back at our room later." Cecilia doesn't move, even though he just told her she can go disturb Adam for a while.

"Are you sure? Did something happen while I was gone?"

"I told you, no!" Fred exclaims.

Cecilia turns her face away, staring into the table. "Sorry."

"Didn't mean it like that."

"Please don't yell at me."

Fred takes a deep breath, forcing back his repressed feelings of annoyance and turns to face her. "You know I'm sorry. I'm just tired. I think I'm going to go to sleep now."

Fulton grabs his arm and yanks him down again, when Fred tries to get up to leave. "You can't just leave when you've made her sad. You ruined her good mood. Which could be interpreted as a bad thing. Sort this out, or I'm forced to do something drastic. You need to learn how to behave."

I smile a little, listening to Fulton's words of wisdom. Guy looks rather amused too, despite the fact that he hasn't said a word since we got here. We both grew up with Fulton, and he's actually quite good at lecturing people. Charlie usually just gets upset and howls demands, but Fulton has some sort of authority that you don't bitch against.

"It's okay," Cecilia says. "It doesn't matter, I shouldn't have nagged about it. It's my fault."

"No, it's not. Fred doesn't have enough manners to understand how to speak politely," Fulton explains. Wow, this behaving thing seems to be really important to him. He's got a point, though.

"I do too have manners," Fred answers. "I told her I was sorry."

"Did you mean it?"

"Of course I did!" he snaps, raising his voice again. Then he turns to Cecilia, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry. Really sorry. I didn't mean to yell."

"I know," she replies, cracking her knuckles. Guy wrinkles his nose to this, he hates the sound of that. "So, what did you want to talk about? Is it important?"

"Just about general stuff. We can talk tomorrow."

"We're leaving tomorrow," she points out. "Can't you just say it now? You're making me nervous. Did I do something wrong?"

The rest of the conversation is lost on us, because Fred starts to rant in Swedish again. Probably to avoid getting lectured by Fulton, since what he's saying is obviously affecting Cecilia the wrong way. "Hey, what did you say this time?" Fulton demands to know when Cecilia looks close to tears.

"Nothing, I just..."

"Did you dump her?" Portman cuts in, trying to get a glimpse of Cecilia's face.

This time, Fred blows up. "You know, if it hadn't been for you, everything could've been okay right now! But no, you just had to interfere with everything! It's not any of your business what I do and what I don't do, so fuck off!"

Portman opens his mouth to shout back, but Fulton hits his shoulder to keep him from saying anything stupid. I'm surprised that Fred had the guts to scream like that. No one ever attacks Portman, since he comes off as this really intimidating guy. He's not that big of a goon, he just looks like it. Even though, you don't start fights with anyone of that size.

"Let's just all calm down," Fulton suggests. "This isn't anyone's fault but yours, Fred, so shut up. And Cecilia, stop sniffling, it's not that bad. Portman, take a time out. Connie, hand me some peanuts."

I smile at him, while reaching for the bowl of peanuts. "He's right, you guys. It's not worth fighting about," I say. Portman snorts, folding his arms together. Then he turns his back against Fulton and Fred. Now he's being ridiculous.

"Why are you taking his side?" Portman wants to know, sounding like a grumpy Charlie. "Shouldn't you be on MY side?"

"Since when did I pick a side?" Fulton replies, sighing. "You are all insane. Say you're sorry."

He's obviously speaking to Fred, but Portman, who can't see them, takes it as a request to him. "What?! No way! He was the one who..."

"Shut up!" Fulton sighs even louder. "I wasn't talking to you. Is anyone else getting a headache?"

"I'm not sorry," Fred growls. "He did mess everything up."

"You shouldn't have yelled," Portman mutters back, making Fulton moan. "Well, he shouldn't have! It's not my fault he keeps running after Lex, at the same time as he's sleeping with that maniac there!"

"What?" I say. He must be making this up, because I don't recall knowing anything about this. Not that it's any of my business, of course...

Fulton puts his head against the table, mumbling something. Portman seems guilty, and bites his lip. "Did Lex tell you that?" Fred whispers, looking upset. Cecilia is just looking mortified. So it's true?

"Okay, so now we all know," Fulton says. "They slept together. Portman, what the hell?"

"Sorry, I forgot that it was a secret. But they probably knew anyway," he whimpers, nodding at us. Guy's chair makes a screeching sound when he scoots back, leaving the table. Oh, joy, more drama.

"I didn't know," I point out. I'm going to demand getting more details later, when this has calmed down a bit. "But I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Like it matters. Everyone seems to know anyway. Is there anyone who doesn't know about this?" Fred howls.

"I don't," Adam exclaims, joining our table. "Are you fighting?"

"They slept together," Portman announces. Cecilia throws the empty glass at him, but luckily he catches it before it hits the floor and breaks. "Sorry. Caught up in the moment."

"That's really great, thank you Portman. Tell the world. And she's not a maniac, and I haven't been running after Lex," Fred spits out.

Portman raises his eyebrows, gasping for air. "That's all you've been doing since we got here! You're even lying to yourself now! You're such a bastard."

"I'm not a bastard."

Portman smirks, while snorting at something. He's so strange sometimes. "Were you born outside your parents' marriage?"

Fred doesn't seem to understand the purpose of this question, and he's probably not aware of what it means. "What? Yeah, but what the hell has that got to do with this?"

Now Portman's grinning at him, with some victorious expression on his face. I rub my temples. The insults are getting lamer by the minute. "Then you're a bastard!" Portman exclaims matter-of-factly. "And a real one too. Must be why you're always acting so strange."

Fulton stops Fred from attacking and then he shoots Portman a warning glance. Cecilia seems to catch on, and she turns to Portman so she can object to either the comment Portman made to Adam, or the insult he threw at Fred. I bet she's not taking Fred's side, when he almost made her cry a minute ago.

They all start to talk at the same time, Portman and Cecilia yelling at each other, while Fred is sounding upset while he's howling at Fulton. It's a good thing it's not the other way around, because Portman would kill Fred if he shouted like that at him. Adam sits down next to me, giving me a questioned glance. I just shrug, since I have no idea what they are really going on about.

"I'm leaving," Cecilia says, getting up from her chair. Portman grabs her arm, but she shoves him away. "Don't touch me!"

Fred dives after her, putting his arms around her waist to hold her back. "You don't have to leave. I'm sorry, please come back…" he begs, pulling her down into his lap. "I never did get to my point. I didn't mean to make you sad, and I don't want to fight with you."

I look around for Guy. I wonder why he took that so personally? I'm torn between staying put so I can get the latest news, and go find Guy who's upset. Maybe it was just too much information for him to deal with? He's been giving Fred dirty looks all week for some reason.

"If you don't want me to come with you, just say so. I'm sick and tired of always being thrown aside. Maybe should take Lex with you instead," Cecilia mumbles. "Or maybe you should just go home."

Guy and I rarely fight with each other, not like these two do. We have our arguments, but we never scream or anything. Most certainly, we don't hold a grudge against each other, dealing with the same problems over and over again. That's not very healthy.

"I think we need to talk."

"We already are talking!" she howls, pushing him away.

"This isn't talking, this is shouting," Fred lowers his head, staring at the floor. We all stay quiet, knowing that this isn't any of our business. "You're right, we haven't really talked since..."

"No, you haven't really talked. At all, with me. Not even after last Thursday. You just assumed that it would solve every problem. But it doesn't. And I don't think I should go with you, if you're going to act like this. Maybe we shouldn't even be together."

"Come on! You can't be serious! You're breaking up with me because I don't know how to talk to you? This is why I want to talk to you. I'm trying to make everything better. And Lex has nothing to do with this. You were the one who ran to her this time, not me. I'm trying to listen, and I'm trying to not screw around anymore, but you make it so hard!"

"All this, and you still don't want me?" she whispers. "After all the bullshit you put me through. Why did you even sleep with me? Just because you could?"

"You didn't hear one word I just told you, did you?" Fred sighs. "I don't think we should go on like this. I was wrong, everyone else was right. Sex solves nothing. Not even the tiniest disagreement. So I don't think we should sleep together anymore."

Even I get affected by his rejection, because that wasn't a very nice thing to say at all. Fulton is concentrating on not killing him, while Portman is uncomfortable. Adam is just confused, probably trying to figure out what is going on. Should I say something? I want to, because this is just awkward. Sadly, I don't have anything smart to add to the conversation.

Cecilia holds her breath, trying hard not to cry. "So, you don't want me?"

"I didn't say that. Why are you obsessed with the thought of me not wanting you? I love you, I would never do something like that to you."

"Explain how that is not inconsistent to what you just said," Cecilia demands.

There's a new silence. Fred shifts in his chair, while coming up with something to say. I know this tactic; he always does this when he knows that he's way out of line. Usually he just says whatever comes to his mind, even if it's an insult…this is caused by his bad temper, I assume. "I don't know if we should discuss this right now," Fred lowers his voice.

"Either you say it now, or you can't be with me anymore."

Ah, an ultimatum. Knowing Fred, he's going to make the wrong decision. I have to kick him under the table. He whimpers, throwing me an evil eye. "You were right about me not talking to you. These last months have been awfully quiet. I just think that we should go back and try to work things out before we jump to any conclusions. I feel like we've been running around in circles. That I've been too occupied with my own problems that I haven't paid any attention to you at all. I've missed you, even though we've seen each other everyday."

"Oh." Cecilia seems stunned, because Fred usually doesn't know how to express himself that well. Maybe he's been practicing this speech before? He must have.

"I just think we need to catch up with things, before we continue, making our problems even more severe. Don't you think?" Fred asks, waiting for Cecilia to reply. She just nods, without looking at him. "I didn't mean to say all those things. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I just really needed to talk to you. To explain why we should spend the rest of the summer, catching up with these last few months that we've lost. I'm not saying that I regret what we did, I just think it was too soon. Not the right way to deal with problems."

"You still want me to come with you?" she wonders, sounding surprised. "I thought you had to go alone."

"Of course I want you to come with me. Where do you want to go anyway?"

Cecilia wipes away her tears. "I thought we had to go to Washington."

"No, we can go anywhere you like. It doesn't matter. My father will never know. If he's convinced I am somewhere in Washington, that's enough. It's not like he'll spend any time with me, caring about where I am. I can go anywhere, as long as I say that I'm in Washington. He won't even check up on me, knowing him right."

"He'll find out."

"Probably, some day. But not this summer. Probably not this year. Maybe when he goes through my account and sees what I've spent my money on. Probably not even then, he has people who do that for him. I can always bribe them."

Cecilia laughs. "Where are we going, then?"

"Anywhere. Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. Some place warm. Jamaica? Spain? Scotland? Or, maybe the Caribbean. I've always wanted to go there," she exclaims, half joking.

"So, let's go there. A whole month in the Caribbean. I didn't think you liked the ocean."

"We don't have to go into the water."

"I'll help you get over your fear of water. I promise," Fred smiles. "Just as long as you understand that we won't have sex."

"No, because that would be horrible," she mutters, making the rest of us laugh. I shake my head. A month in a tropical paradise, without any parental guardians? I hope Fred realizes that he's going to have to blame himself if he ever questions why the hell that 'no sex' rule was made up.

Adam nudges me, pointing at Guy, who's over by the bar, talking to Ken. "Why aren't you with him?"

"I don't know. He left when this conversation started."

I look at Fulton, to see if he knows anything that I don't, but he just shrugs. "Maybe he's just not feeling well?"

"Who?" Cecilia asks, busy making out with Fred. Two seconds ago they were fighting. Jeez. Talk about mood swings.

"Guy. He's acting weird," Portman announces. Can't he ever just shut up? I glare at him. "Oh, was that a secret too?"

Adam gets up from the table, waving at Cecilia. "Let's go dance," he offers. "I've been looking for you." She gets up from Fred's lap, leaping into Adam's arms.

"I'll come dance with you later," Fred says. "Don't run off."

"I won't!" she exclaims. Well, she bounced back pretty quickly. Yep, she's bouncing again. Maybe I've affected her?

Portman and Fulton start to talk at the same time, but I ignore them, looking for Guy. Fred stands up, for the first time in several hours. Then he grabs hold of the table to keep from falling. "Where's Guy?" he says. I point at my boyfriend, and Fred stumbles over to the bar. Why do I have the feeling that this won't end very nice?

"Where is Charlie anyway? Isn't he usually the one who deals with fights like these?" Portman growls. "Ever since he got that girlfriend, he's been absent."

"I don't think she's his girlfriend. And it's only been two days, at the most," I point out, smiling. "And we did manage to sort this out on our own, didn't we?"

"Yeah, there was so much to sort out. They scream, talk, make up, and now they're annoying again," Portman whines. "Are they going to fight too?" He's looking towards Guy and Fred, talking over by the bar. I quickly get up, in case I need to hold Guy back from strangling Fred.

Fulton follows me over to them, pushing himself in between them so they can't get to each other. "What's up? Don't you think we've had enough fighting for one night?"

"We're just talking," Guy mutters. "Stay out of this."

I jump up on the bar stool next to him, grabbing his arm. "About what? You're not upset because of the whole..."

"No, I'm not," he snaps. "Besides, he was the one who started it."

"Why do you have a problem with me? You've been avoiding me all week. What did I do?" Fred asks, back in his usual responsible role. The mature Fred, who doesn't pick fights unless it's necessary. "Is it because of the Lex thing?"

For some reason, Guy has been taking Fred's side all week when it came to that subject. Even though he keeps glaring at Fred, he takes his side. Sometimes I don't understand how Guy's brain works. Maybe it's because Lex's not part of the Ducks, and therefore he feels obligated to stand up for Fred?

Maybe I should become a therapist? "No, I don't care about Lex."

"I know!" Fulton sniggers. "You're jealous because Fred got to share room with his girlfriend, and you're stranded with Dwayne, right?"

Uh-oh. Fulton really hit the soft spot there, I think. Guy seems shocked that Fulton was able to figure that out, now he's twisting and turning. "Nah, man. It's nothing like that."

"Are you?" Fred says, sounding surprised. "That's why you're angry at me? That's not my fault! I didn't have anything to do with how we were paired up!"

"Shush, Fred, we know," Fulton rolls his eyes. "You don't have to get upset about it. Dude, calm down."

"Fine," Fred grumbles. "But it's not my fault. And I don't mind where I sleep, really. If you had gotten to share with Con, maybe I wouldn't be in so much trouble right now. You would've been the one getting drunk, beaten up and you would've been the one falling in love with Lex. Losing your stupid virginity and ending up being forced to drink a whole bottle of disgusting wine. So, be my guest, share room with your girlfriend."

"You're in love with Lex?" This is obviously the only thing Guy reacted to. Fred just shoots him an icy glare, throwing his hands into the air. Fulton and I watch as he leaves to go find Cecilia. "I was just asking." Guy seems satisfied with how he managed to get Fred even more upset.

"Are you even now?" I moan. "Or do you have to give back at anymore of your friends?"

"Nah, I'm done. That was sort of fun. We're even now." Guy puts his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. "Unless you need revenge on anyone?"

"Don't think so. Could we just go dance?" I ask.

Great, they're even. Fred will get over that last comment, because he always forgives people that easy. Except for when it comes to Cecilia, he forgets everything just as fast as it happens…even when it regards school. Oh, maybe that's a bad thing?

So, what have I been able to accomplish? Charlie is still missing, but I have a feeling he's just as happy anyway. Fred's not drunk anymore, he got over that just as fast too. Cecilia isn't all that miserable any longer. Guy's over this whole thing he had against Fred. Portman has calmed down, Fulton isn't annoyed and I'm having a good time. Averman is enjoying his last night with Anna, Dwayne is dancing with Sammie. Anthony has stolen Cecilia away from Adam, Adam is looking like a fool where he's standing all alone on the dance floor, just like he did before. Fred is talking to Matt, a scenario I never thought I'd see. Ken is still by the bar, ordering drinks for Luis and Goldberg. Jeff and Julie are nowhere to be seen, but they're probably around here somewhere.

That's pretty good, huh? Everybody is happy, for once. All our disagreements are solved, maybe not entirely by me, but I still accomplished a lot this evening. I decide to go save Adam from the dance floor, after that everything will be just perfect.

"Why are you standing here all alone?" I laugh. "You can step away when you're done dancing, you know."

"I know," Adam sticks out his tongue at me. "I just didn't feel like moving."

"Alright, just come with me, Banks. There's no need to get feisty."

I leave him with Luis and Ken, shoving a drink into his hand. He seems fine with that, and stays put. Guy drags me out on the dance floor, impatient as always. "This isn't hell, is it?" I have to ask, smiling at him.

"Nope, this is okay. Well, it's more then okay, it's great."

I watch as Fred allures Cecilia away from Anthony. They had been dancing pretty close, so it was probably just an act of jealousy. Maybe it was a purely innocent dance, because the music is slow, but I don't know. They could be just friends.

"Could you stop worrying about everyone?" Guy cuts into my thoughts. "You don't have to be the savior all the time. Let them work things out on their own for a change."

"Okay," I give in. "It was just a reflex. Hey, would you mind kissing me?"

"What kind of question is that?" he snorts, leaning closer. Then he stops. "You don't think he's angry at me, do you?" I just moan, digging my nails into his arm. "Ouch, it was just a question!" he whimpers, but he's smiling, so I guess he was just teasing me.

I lean my head against his shoulder, still unable to stop thinking of everyone else's problems. They are all close friends of mine, some of them are closer then others. They always stick up for me whenever I need help, so I'm just returning the favor. I'm also a curious girl, so I try to find things out when I want to know more about them.

So, we're leaving in two days. I hope it won't cause too many tears. It must be hard to have to leave when you know you won't meet the other person again. Like with Anna and Averman. Maybe we'll meet them again, but it'll still be a goodbye for now. I'm lucky I have Guy. There won't be any heartbreaking goodbyes for me.

I look at the time. Almost 2:30. Wow, it feels like it was just nine, like we just got here. They'll throw us out any minute. Or in half an hour, anyway. I look around. It still surprises me that everyone are having a good time. By the way we've acted this last week, I wouldn't raise my eyebrows if anyone started to fight.

Speaking of that, I wonder where Charlie really is. He should be down here and be proud of us. All he's done during this week is try to get us to behave, and when we finally are, he's not around to see it. Even Cecilia is keeping her mouth shut, so we deserve some credit. Okay, she's quiet because Fred has stuck his tongue down her throat, but she's still silent, and that's the important part.

I'm sort of glad Charlie isn't here anyway, because he would probably find something else to moan about. Plus, we're all sort of drunk, so he could use that against us when we get back home.

There are no misfortunes at all, until Fred leans too much into Cecilia while kissing her quite passionately, making her fall over. Guy just shakes his head when they both bump into the floor. Fred keeps kissing her, and Cecilia's too drunk to know the difference. Well, they're both obviously too drunk to know anything, otherwise they wouldn't have fallen like that.

We all laugh at them, before Guy and Adam decide to help them up again. "Maybe we should get going?" Guy suggests, letting go of Cecilia's hand. "Unless you have other plans?" He looks at me, and I'm sure I have no plans of any kind.

I bet Julie is in our room, making out with Jeff. Just as revenge because I stole the room after the concert, staying there with Guy, so she had to stay in Jeff's room. Yeah, she must've suffered a whole lot... Sammie is shouting something about not having her keycard, and Anna says the same. Where does that leave me? If Sammie stays with Dwayne, where is Guy supposed to go?

We all decide to go up to our rooms, to continue partying up there. Portman almost cleans out the bar before he leaves, so I guess we won't feel great tomorrow.

I force Guy to go down and leave the glass we borrowed from the kitchen, and he's complaining. But he still obeys, muttering evil things when he disappears towards the elevator. I wait for him, but he takes his time, so I start to go back up to our floor. I find Cecilia sitting by the elevator, picking at her shoes.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I ask. "Not feeling well?"

"No, I'm waiting for Fred. He had to go downstairs to make a call, his cell phone ran out of batteries. Portman had been playing with it earlier or something."

"Yeah, he had. So, are you coming to party? Or maybe you're going to sleep? Didn't you have to leave real early tomorrow?"

"It already is real early tomorrow," she points out, getting up. Then she smiles a little. "But I don't think we'll come party. Fred wants to spend the night with me."

"How do you mean?" I say.

"You know, it's our last night here. Before we leave for wherever it was. He said he wanted to spend one last night with me, before we leave."

"Oh." It's just like Fred to change the rules like that. He was probably serious about not sleeping with her during the rest of the month, but still... it's pretty much the same thing. He just never said when they had to start follow that rule, so he's taking advantage of that. Anyway, it's not like I can hold it against him. He's probably just affected by his hormones, and Cecilia's short skirt and tight top. Plus the amount of alcohol they both have been consuming.

"But we're gonna talk too," she says quickly.

"I'm not judging," I smile back.

"Just want to be clear with that. He told me how you convinced him to sort things out. Thanks, Connie. I mean, he never would've talked to me otherwise. So, we're going to spend tonight talking, as well as... Eh, well, you know."

She seems nervous about the whole thing, so I decide not to push her into telling me any details. I can always combine my questions with the ones I'll have when she comes back from the vacation. A week, right? Two, maybe. Tops. Because I'm dying to get to know more about this. Hopefully she'll tell me when she comes back. "Yeah, I know you'll work things out tonight."

"And we still have the whole month besides tonight. To talk, I mean."

"I'll see you tomorrow, before you leave," I say, at the same time as Guy arrives from the elevator. Fred's with him too, so our conversation is over. For now, anyway.

Guy drags me along towards Adam's room, where the party is at. Charlie's not there, so we're taking the opportunity to be obedient in his room instead. More things to share with Captain when he shows up from wherever he is. We're probably going to be in Ken, Goldberg and Russ's room too, because they have the cool suite.

Fred's room is only two doors away from Adam's room, so they follow us there. Guy wrinkles his nose when they start making out up against the wall, but I just laugh. "You're not jealous again, are you?"

"No!" Guy exclaims. Then he also starts to laugh. "There's a time and a place for everything. Just remember to use protection, we don't need any ducklings on the team." 

Fred removes his hand from Cecilia's thigh and throws his shoe at Guy. "That was just plain rude."

"Okay, I think we need to get going," I roll my eyes, grabbing Guy's ear. He whimpers, kicking back the shoe at Fred. I knock on the door, waiting for someone to let us in. "Goodnight, you two."

"There probably won't be much sleeping for them," Guy points out, whimpering some more when I don't let go of his ear.

"Probably not," Fred says, making Cecilia laugh. "Don't worry, there won't be any ducklings, I'm not that stupid."

"You're not stupid," Cecilia replies. This only makes Fred grope her even more. They disappear into their room, and Guy keeps complaining. I forgot that I was holding his ear.

"Sorry," I excuse myself. "Let's just be nice from now on."

"Oh, let's!" Guy grins, almost falling over when the door is opened up.

Yep, there is still so much going on. But right now, only happy stuff. And I'm keeping it together, somehow. I was right, tonight did turn out great for everyone. Even for me. And especially for Fred. Jeez.


	33. Tequila

been a while, eh? we've been busy, had writer's block, etc…this story's almost finished. we promise…next chapter will be up sooner than this one was. we promise that too. read and review, ok?  
-Kristine and Cimmy

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**Chapter 33: Tequila  
By NYgoldfish54**

**Luis's POV**

I've discovered something tonight that won't be terribly useless when I go back to Miami. Tequila is an evil thing. An evil, evil, terribly evil thing.

I'm lying on the floor of Goldberg, Kenny, and Russ's room. I think. Fulton was lying next to me before, but Chris is there now. I'm listening to the music and staring at the ceiling, while Chris is singing along.

"And the sign said 'long haired freaky people need not apply'  
so I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why  
he said 'you look like a fine, upstanding young man, I think you'll do'  
so I took off my hat and said 'imagine that, huh, me working for _you?"_

"You don't have long hair," I tell Chris, yanking his short hair.

"I know. It's part of the s-song," he slurs. "Could you not p-pull my hair anymore, p-please?"

"Oh sorry," I mumble. I think I'm drunker than I thought.

Chris goes back to singing. It's amazing how his singing isn't slurred but his regular talking is. Suddenly he sits up and bolts. I peel my head off the floor and catch a glimpse of him dashing into the bathroom. I bet he went to hurl. He was completely smashed.

I pry my own body from the floor, intent on returning on my room to sleep. I think it's 4:30 AM. Along the way I see Fulton and Portman making out, Connie and Guy making out, Anna and Averman hooking up, Sammie and Dwayne kissing passionately, Matt glaring daggers at the pair of them, Jeff and Julie asleep, Russ and Kenny look sober-ish, and Goldberg and Banks are leaning on each other, sound asleep. I don't see Anthony, but I know he's here…ah yes, there he is. He's sleeping under the desk.

I hit the music on my way out. It's unnecessarily loud.

I'm heading back to my room, but decide to check on Fred and Cecilia. I put my ear to the door, but don't hear anything. They must be alright.

I get to my room, fumble with my key card, open the door and drop down on my bed. Am I drunk? I can't tell. But I feel sick. Tequila is an evil thing.

I'm lying on my bed, so of course, I'm unable to fall asleep. Instead I'm going to go for a for a night time stroll. I walk out of my room and notice all this garbage on the floor of our hall way. Then, coming from the vicinity of the party suite, I hear a crash. This hotel is never going to let us back again, ever.

I'm walking past Lex's room. She must be in there with Charlie, as we haven't seen them since…well, before 2:30 AM. 

I hear somebody yelp, and because it was so high and girlish I'm going to assume it was Lex. I chuckle to myself. Lex is pretty smart, talented with something, and good looking. Not hot or exceptionally beautiful, but good looking. Old Charlie didn't do too badly for himself.

I have to admit, of all the people I thought who would end up screwed (literally) this week, I didn't think it would be Charlie. I though it would be me, or Adam, or Portman even…well, before I found out he was gay. He's gay! Hahaha! Him _and_ Fulton! And they're with _each other. It's incredible! I just never guessed. I'll never be able to understand what they don't see in girls, but if they're happy, hey, good for them. _

What's really interesting is that I've always been told by the Catholic Church that being gay was wrong, and I used to think that I thought it was. But now that it's Fulton and Portman, I can't bring myself to believe what they do is wrong. I guess it's different when it's two people you love that are close to home, and not just a random minority statistic located 'somewhere out there.' They're Fulton and Portman, for God's sake! There can't be anything wrong with them. There just can't be. If there's something wrong with them, then there's something wrong with all of us. 

Anyway, back to Charlie. I can't believe he's gotten laid this week. And he's got a girl who likes him, and probably has since she met him. I cannot believe this. It's just so…not the norm, I guess, is the right phrase. Plus, he's the one always preaching 'best behavior' and now this? It's _so _not typical. 

I mean, _come on, it's _Charlie._ If it was Banks or Dwayne or me or Ken, at least you could argue that he was attractive in some way or another. Oh wait, Dwayne doesn't qualify here. He's into that other girl, the blond, Sammie. He must be being rewarded for something. I wonder what wonderful thing he's done to have karma like that?_

Actually, a better example of 'who is being rewarded for something in a past life' would be Averman. How'd he get a pretty chick like that Eukovich girl? That girl is gorgeous. At least I think so. Dark hair, blue eyes, fair skin, nice figure…obviously Russian or Eastern European. Then it's Averman. The guy has reddish, curly hair, is sort of dorky looking, and wears huge ass glasses. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, _that_ Averman got a pretty girl. I mean, he's funny and all, but really, Averman? He must have something I'm not giving him credit for.

Am I going overboard here? I don't know why. I guess it's just because I miss my ex-girlfriend more than I thought. Traci. You know, that blond senior that I stole from right under Rick Riley's nose after the JV/Varsity showdown? She graduated and is going to college in Oregon somewhere. I miss her. Oh well, I'll get over it, eventually.

Hmm…you know, it's not smart to walk around with half a hangover at 4:45 AM without knowing where you're going. Where the hell am I?

Room 458? What floor am I on? Better get out of here, the other people around might get pissed.

I take the elevator back down to my floor. The door to the suite is now closed again. Jeff, with Julie next to him, opens the door and I step inside.

"Hey man, we thought you called it quits for the night," Jeff smiles. He seems pretty sober. Julie, who's hanging off his arm, doesn't look in quite the same condition. She looks kind of tipsy. Ok, she's wasted. Happy now?

"I did, but I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk and now I'm back here," I explain quickly. I see a really badly damaged suitcase on the floor. It looks like it fell from the top shelf of the closet, on to the desk, then onto floor. It also looks like it shattered something that was made of glass. We're never coming back here, ever, ever again. We won't be allowed. I'm surprised we're not sitting on a curb waiting to go to the airport already.

Jeff sees me watching the suitcase. "It's Portman's fault, blame him."

"What-"

"He got mad there was nothing he could hang upside down from and picked up Goldberg's suitcase up and hurled it at the top shelf of the closet. It hit the wood, bounced out, hit the desk, knocked over what used to be a glass vase and that," he points to the wreckage on the floor, "is the result." 

"Why was he mad that there was nothing to hang upside down from? Why did he want to hang upside down?" I ask.

"I don't know, because he's smashed? Eww, Julie cut it out," he says as Julie licks the inside of his ear.

"Sorry Jeffie," she slurs.

"Jeffie?" I look questioningly at Jeff.

"Uh, she picked that up just tonight. She was talking about how I was just 'Jeff' and not 'Jeffie', which was 'unfair' because she was 'Julie' not 'Jul.' I'm hoping it doesn't stick while she's sober. I don't like it," he watches the girl on his arm, who's now falling asleep.

I suddenly feel all that Tequila getting the better of me, and knock Jeff and Julie out of the way to the bathroom. After I finish puking my guts out, I peel myself off the floor, rinse out my mouth, and find Jeff grinning outside the door.

"What are you laughing about?" I snap as he laughs. Julie is now lying on the bed asleep.

He grins again, and says, "Nothing, just a rhyme I remembered watching you throw up."

"What rhyme?" I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.

He laughs again, and recites, "One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor."

"You…" but I'm cut off as Portman tosses me out of the way in his effort to get to the bathroom. The door slams, and Jeff and I look at each other.

"Wow, it's 'party 'til you puke' around here tonight, isn't it?" Jeff says lightly as retching sounds can be heard from beyond the bathroom door.

"Yeah, pretty much, but I feel much better now…woah! Averman! What are you doing!?" I shout as he's standing on the railing of the balcony outside.

Jeff turns and stares as Averman wanders back and forth across the railing a good twenty feet above the ground.

"Look at me!" Averman shouts, spreading his arms, "I'm a bird! I'm a plane! I'm- oooof!" Averman slips, and thank God, falls onto the balcony rather than the pavement twenty feet below.

I heave a deep sigh of relief, and Jeff and I race over to Averman, now lying flat on his back on the patio.

"Averman! Averman! Are you alright? What the hell were you thinking?" I shout as Jeff and I pull him off the floor. 

"What?" he laughs. "I was trying to impress her!" he slurs, pointing toward the corner of the balcony.

"Anna? Oh my God!" Jeff catches sight of the small wreck of the beautiful girl in the corner between the glass door and the railing, and releases Averman. Without warning of the extra weight I was now supporting, both Averman and I crash to the ground again, me landing on his chest.

"Luis, you're a great friend, but I don't swing that way," he grins a drunken smile. "I think Portman and Fulton might, though."

"Don't flatter yourself, Averman," I mumble, pulling both of us off the ground again. 

"Flatten myself?" he asks. "How do I flatten myself? Pancakes are kind of flat," he mutters mindlessly.

I glance over at Jeff, who's lifted Anna off the ground. She mumbles something unintelligible to him. 

"I think you've had enough, Anna, I'm going to take you back to your room now," he says, shifting her weight so he can get through the door. I'm still supporting Averman, and we follow them back inside.

"Lex is in there with Charlie," Anna says to Jeff.

"You know, I have enough nightmares without that information. You can sleep in my room, alright?"

"Okay," she gives Jeff a lopsided smile. "Are you going to carry me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you're too smashed to walk."

"Aren't you smashed?" she slurs.

"No. I can control my drinking, unlike almost everyone else here."

"Okay…what about Averman?" she adds as an afterthought.

"Averman's going to sleep in his own room," Jeff mutters. "He's nearly killed himself once tonight for you. That's quite enough."

"No it's not! I'll come with you!" Averman, who I had thought was either passing out or falling asleep from the way I was dragging him along, suddenly comes to life and tries to pounce on Jeff. I catch him just in time.

"No, you don't buddy," I say, putting my arm around his waist to support his weight again. "I think you've had enough fun for one evening."

"Enough fun," he echoes in a sing-song voice. "Enough fun, enough fun, enough fun…"

"Shut up," I tell him as we leave Kenny, Russ, and Goldberg's room and head for our own.

When we get there, I throw him on his bed, collapse on mine, and glance at the clock to check the time. 5:30 AM.

What a night…drinking, puking, balconies, nighttime strolls…tequila is an evil thing.

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Lyrics borrowed in this chapter:  
'Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign' –Five Man Electric Band


	34. They Say She's a Psycho

**Chapter 34: They Say She's a Psycho...  
By Cimmy**

**Cecilia's POV**

I had a crush on Fred for 638 days before he kissed me. Which means that I'd given up all hope on him ever returning those feelings, until he actually showed some interest in me.

I've only said 'I love you' to Fred five times since I met him. I've only used that phrase about eleven times in my whole life. My Dad has never said it to me, so I guess it's from him I've inherited the inability to say those words. 'Take care' is the closest thing my Dad ever gets to.

Fred keeps making me feel inadequate. He tells me how much he loves me all the time, and I never say it back. Being with him alone for the rest of the month will be pure torture if he keeps on saying... those words.

Alone. With him. I've never been on my own before, with Fred as my only company. He'll be my only safety-line in case something happens to me. I have to count on him to take care of me, now when nobody else is around.

There's one more person I've managed to say the magic words to. The most unlikely target of them all; Anthony. Why did I tell him I love him? I didn't mean to, it just slipped out. But I wouldn't have said it unless I meant it, because I'm not able to lie about something as important as that.

But it bothers me that I think of him, when I should be thinking of Fred. My feelings aren't returned when it comes to Anthony, even though I thought he liked me. I don't want to have to choose, and I would feel terrible if I mess up Fred's life even more then I already have, so it's probably for the best.

Anthony just made me feel so good. He was nice to me, and cared about me. He treated me a like a friend, he even invited me to stay with him the rest of the summer. He was probably just saying that because he felt sorry for me again, but a part of me really wanted to go with him. That's all I remember from our rendez-vouz last night, because I was too drunk. But I know that he wanted me to come with him.

I don't have that many close friends, and definitely not a guy friend of the kind that Anthony is. Someone I can hang out with and have fun with. Secretly admire, and feel light-headed in a good way around. No, wait... Anyhow, it would be great if I could see him more often. I could use a friend like him. I've told him a lot of personal things, and I hope I won't regret doing that. He's closer to me then most people are, and it took less then a week.

Hey, it doesn't matter. Anthony doesn't feel that way about me. No one ever does, not if I like them. He's being friendly, and I misinterpret it into expressions of love. I just wish, for once, that a guy could be interested in me instead of me having to chase him all over the place. I'm tired, and I want my life to be easy.

I try to keep my mind on last night's events instead. Especially the moments with Fred. How he kissed me, held me in his arms, made love to me. It was definitely the most passionate night of my life, and he did everything to make it memorable. Sure, it still sort of hurts and it's still a scary thing to do, but Fred made it all worth while. It felt good just to be able to hold on to him while he was making me feel wanted. I've missed him so much these last few months, and I don't want to be a bother any longer.

So, here I am. My last day in Florida. My last day in a secure environment, with my friends around me. Then it'll be just him and I. Okay, I'm getting worked up for nothing.

Fred is the reason to why I wake up at 6:37. It feels like I just fell asleep. Actually, I think that's accurate. I did just fall asleep. He keeps touching my cheek with his fingers, brushing away some hair from my face. I can't help but letting out a deep, content sigh.

"Cecilia?" he whispers into my shoulder, kissing my neck. This is a very unsubtle way to get me to open my eyes.

I murmur some sort of respond, without using words. Waking up in his arms is a moment I'd like to save, and hold on to for as long as possible. Fred lifts his head up and smiles. Yeah, I knew he was wide awake from the start. "I'm glad you're done with your sleeping. I miss you. Good morning."

"Hi," I mumble, smiling back. Then I start to feel insecure, so I have to be sarcastic. "How can you miss me when you're lying on top of me?"

"Not on top. Next to, to the left," he points out. Fine, he's being like that. I won't burst his bubble. "Let's stay like this for a while."

I'm surprised he isn't whining about having a headache, because of some hang over. I definitely remember the gallons of liquor we consumed a few hours ago.

Fred tugs me closer so I end up with my head on his chest. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and gives up a content sigh of his own. Then he leans over me again, pressing his lips against mine. Instead of pushing him away, I kiss him back. It doesn't feel that weird, luckily. Not until he moves his other hand, over my shoulder and across my collar bone, finding his way over towards the cover. It feels strange when he's brushing his fingers against my skin like that.

"Wait, Fred," I beg him. "Please, could you stop?"

Fred pulls away, but doesn't remove his hand. Oh, he probably thought I meant the kisses, not the touching. "Sure. I'm sorry, I just thought you wanted me to kiss you."

"It wasn't the kiss. It still makes me slightly uncomfortable when you do that. I just haven't gotten used to you touching me like that. Like you just did. It's still a bit weird, you know. I'm sorry. "

"No, it's okay if you feel that way. You should've told me. Still a bit new to the situation, huh?" he says, this time he removes his hand, but leans forward to kiss me again. I nod, moving my head so I can bring myself closer into his face. "You're not feeling bad? I don't really remember much from last night. But I have to admit that I like waking up next to you. Are you feeling okay? No hang over?"

I smile at his concern. "No, I'm fine. We had a really nice time, though."

"Yes, I know. I do remember that part," he smiles. I am embarrassed again. I don't know why I can't talk serious about sex. Fred is my boyfriend, but I still can't talk to him. "I'm glad I do, because otherwise it would've been a waste of love. Don't you think?"

When I don't answer at once, he props himself up on his elbow and gives me a suspicious glance. "You're not regretting what we did, are you?"

For some reason, talking about this brings tears to my eyes. Shit, this isn't good. "I know you want to talk, but it's so difficult. It's hard. I just don't want you to be mad at me because I can't talk to you."

Fred lies down again, pulling me into his arms, comforting me. "You know what I want? I want to spend time with you, like this. You're my girlfriend, and nothing compares to you. I want you. Like I wanted you last night, or at least three hours ago."

I'm the one who's supposed to want him. That's the way it's always been. I'm supposed to sneak around, following him wherever he goes for the chance of him noticing me. Why did he have to fall in love with me? It makes things so much more complicated.

"You're just... You're too nice to me," I explain. "I depend on you. You take care of me, and I need you. But you kept pushing me away, and now you're back to being that perfect boyfriend again. Can't you make up your mind?"

Fred bites his lip. "Jerk, or perfect boyfriend? Gee, I think I need some time to evaluate."

"It just meant so much to me," I mumble. "Everything, especially what we did last night. It meant so much that you would take care of me and hold me in your arms, even though I never do anything to repay you."

"Hey, kid. Calm down. Take a deep breath, I don't want you to be upset. You haven't done anything wrong at all. I should be thanking you for being so understanding. Because I know I was really eager last night..." Fred smiles, rolling his eyes. "I'm sorry if I hurt you because of that. You know, I wasn't really sober, but I hope it was at least a bit better then the last time."

"The last time?" I sniffle.

"Yeah, I hope it didn't hurt."

"It didn't. Well, just a bit, but it was good too."

"Did it hurt a lot? I hope I didn't make you feel too uncomfortable."

"You didn't, I promise. I told you, it meant a lot to me. It was very romantic. Completely out of character."

Fred laughs. "Yeah, you're the anti-romance freak. I almost forgot that."

"But I really liked it. It was nice. Really nice."

He opens his mouth to ask something more, but thinks better of it and continues to kiss me instead. I snuggle closer, because I feel really insecure right now. Even more then before. Why did I have to say all that?

I almost fall asleep in his arms again, but he interrupts my sleepiness. "It's so quiet."

"I know. I guess the others are sleeping too. They were really partying hard last night. Did you hear that crashing sound? I wonder what they broke," I ponder. I'm just glad that they were occupied with making noise of their own, so they didn't hear us. Not that it was a lot to hear, but still... Now I've embarrassed myself. This is going just great.

"Maybe Charlie finally snapped?" Fred suggests.

"Nah, he wasn't even there last night. He was probably with Lex..." Ooops. Okay, now it's uncomfortable. The last time I mentioned Lex, Fred almost passed out. Everybody hates me because I keep attacking Lex, but how am I supposed to react when she's practically making my boyfriend fall in love with her?

"Yep, probably," Fred mutters under his breath, looking a bit pale, as predicted. Hello, I'm still here! Did he expect me not to hear that? "But enough about that. I can't believe it's just been three hours since we fell asleep. I don't feel all that tired. It was just so amazing, what we did. I love you so much."

Oh, God. "Yeah, I know." He kisses my forehead and puts his hand on my stomach. What's with all the touching? Is he that unable to keep his hands to himself? Jesus, I'm overreacting again, aren't I? "I love you too," I whisper. Whoa, six times. In less then a week. That is amazing. Come to think of it, a week ago, I was still a virgin.

Fred is holding me too tight, I can't breath. I start to move around, and he's losing his grip around me. "What's up? You uncomfortable?" Fred asks, glancing at me.

"No... Hey, is it okay if I go downstairs for a while?"

Fred shrugs, letting me go completely. I sit up with an ungraceful movement, knowing that he's going to make some comment about it. Before I slide off the bed, he grabs my arm and pulls me back. "If you want to, I can order up some food."

"No, I'm not that hungry. I just want to go outside, if I may."

"Of course," he smiles. After that, he rolls over on his stomach, so that he's placed right across the bed. I make a clumsy effort to leave the mattress, but I can't move without feeling pain, and I whimper. "Hey, you alright? You're not in pain, are you?"

"I'll be fine," I assure him.

He tilts his head, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You're still a bit sore, aren't you?"

"Don't worry, it's okay. I guess. I really don't want to talk about that right now. Can we save it for later?" I beg. Yikes, we're going to have a lot to talk about later. He's already made it clear that we need to discuss both Lex and Anthony. And some of our other unsolved business. I should've just broken up with him when I had the chance.

"Oh, yeah, let's save the sex talk for later. I'm just dying to know why you won't tell me when I'm hurting you," Fred mutters. "Could you at least let me show you some concern? I care about you. And I don't want you to be sore."

"Not much to do about it now," I reply.

Fred sighs, but doesn't answer. Then he stares at me for a moment. "You're very beautiful." Right, let the game of pity start again. What am I supposed to do? Buy that crap?

Or tease him? "Anthony says I have nice legs," I point out. Fred just laughs.

"Well, he can just say whatever he pleases, because he's not the one who's fortunate enough to wake up next to you, is he?" Fred snorts. "I'll be sleeping next to you for the rest of the month, and he'll be in his little city, doing... whatever it is that he does."

"'Little city'? He's from New York," I say. "And I was just kidding. He was teasing me, that's all. You know, when I fell and hurt my knee? He was just trying to cheer me up."

"Uhu, well, he better keep his hands to himself," Fred mumbles, resting his head against my pillow. He doesn't seem to be lying in a very comfortable position, but what do I know?

"Or what? You'll beat him up again?"

"Shut up, I was drunk. And he's pretty decent. I'm not a big fan, but if he's nice enough to take care of your injuries, I guess I can't dislike him too much. Skip along now, tiny one." Fred closes his eyes and moves a little, while I get dressed. I can't find my sweater, so I just take one of Fred's. It's not like I'm going to some beauty pageant. I just need to go out and get some air before I pass out.

Before I close the door, Fred throws one of the pillows at me to get me to turn around. "Hey, kid?" Why is he calling me that? "You know I love you very much, don't you?"

"I know. I'll be back before you know it."

I hurry down the stairs, but not so fast that I won't spot any kind of tables before I crash into them. The front doors are already locked up, so I step outside. Even though the stairs are slightly uncomfortable to sit on, I don't feel like walking any further. No more running. I'm tired of running.

Every time I need a moment to myself, someone has to disturb me. And why does it always have to be Portman?! "Hey, Psych. What's up?" Oh, so now my nickname has a nickname? Psych? I'm not worthy the 'O' anymore?

"Nothing. Why are you here? Are you always up this early?" I growl. He sits down next to me, looking out over the pool area. It's a wonder that none of us continue the bickering. We're just quiet for a while. Wow, I didn't know he was able to be still for more then two seconds at the time.

"So, why are you here?"

"I asked first."

"Psycho."

"Idiot."

"Seriously, why are you up? Shouldn't you be all cozy with your boyfriend?"

"Shouldn't you?" We keep on answering each other's questions with a new question until we get tired. So I decide to answer. "I told him I need to be alone."

"Oh. Why?"

"Because that's what normal people needs sometime. To catch their breath. How was the party? Did you drink a lot?"

Portman snorts, gazing at something over by the parking lot. Then he laughs a little. "You should've been there. It was an awesome party. And nobody died."

"That's always good. Hey, you're not mad at me, are you? Seriously, I mean."

"You want me to be serious? Come on! But, sure, I'm not mad. Not for real. Why should I be?"

"Well, for starters, I did tell Luis about you and Fulton. That wasn't a nice thing to do. And I hit your nose. Which felt sort of good, considering the circumstances, but let's disregard that."

"They would've found out anyway. So you had nothing to do with it. Luis never told anyone, and neither did Sammie nor you."

"I only told Fred, but he doesn't care."

"Yeah, I know. He's okay. Fulton told me to apologize."

"To him?"

"Yeah, and to you. But I think you should apologize too. I never told you to keep your mouth shut, but I never expected you to say it anyway. Next time, don't gossip about somebody else's business when it doesn't concern you."

"Hey! I never gossiped! I knew about this for a long time, without letting anyone know. And then you kept making a fool out of me, and I still didn't say anything. I only told Luis, so why are you angry?"

Portman shrugs, looking annoyed. Well, I really don't want him to hate me, because he sort of scares me. Just like Matt does, and I certainly don't want Matt against me. If I'm going to be able to be Fred's perfect girlfriend, I have to swallow my pride regarding most things. Regarding Lex, regarding Charlie and I can start by apologizing, even though Portman should say he's sorry too.

Maybe it'll boost my karma the tiniest bit? "I am sorry," I say quickly, grabbing his arm. "Don't leave. I don't want you to be mad at me. Please, I am sorry." Fine, now I sound pathetic. Fred's going to love me now.

"You don't have to get upset about it," he mutters. "You're such a baby. We're okay now, Psych. I can always come up with some new way to torture you when you come back. Just don't fall for the wrong guy while you're gone."

What's that supposed to mean? I notice that he's not even consider apologizing to me, but I don't care to bring that up. If I want people to like me, I have to stop bugging them all the time. I'll pretend that it doesn't bother me. It's time to be quiet and rely on Fred, instead of being edgy and messing up all the time. What's the point? Nobody's going to care much anyway. It's better this way.

After another quiet minute, my mouth starts to talk without my permission. "Have you ever loved too people at the same time?"

"No, not loved. Why? Is it that Anthony fellow who's on your mind?"

"Sort of. But I don't think he likes me. And even if he does, I still have Fred..."

"Look," he interrupts me. "There's no point in dwelling about some guy that might not even care about you, when you have someone who really loves you. Fred's a cool guy, and I don't want you to run after Anthony if you're not sure it's worth it."

Portman is of course crudely right, but it still hurts to hear the truth from someone who spends most of his time trying to get me killed. "I won't run after anyone. I told you, he doesn't want me, and Fred does. I was just wondering if I'm the worst person in the whole world because I like Anthony too."

"You're not. You're just psychedelic."

"Psychedelic? Do you even know what that means?"

"No. Do you?"

"Not really. You haven't seen Charlie, have you?" I ask. I hope he won't continue to scream at me for leaving. I don't think I can take that right now.

Portman shakes his head. "Nah, he's been missing since last night. Probably with Lex, doing dirty things. Speaking of her, you two aren't gonna fight when you get back, right?"

"Why should we?" I sigh. Portman gives me a questioned look, so I have to elaborate. "You know, she used to be my friend, Lex. I was even closer to Jeff, but after this, it's all ruined. I wish I could take it all back. Fred and I knew them before you guys did, so without us, you wouldn't even be here."

"So we should all thank you?" he laughs.

"No. That's not what I meant. I just meant that it was all a waste of time for me, since I happened to destroy our friendship with one simple punch. I don't have that many friends, and now I have even less then before."

"They're good people. They'll forgive you. And you always have us. Them, I mean. Don't count on me, I still think you're psychedelic," Portman smiles. That didn't cheer me up much, because he doesn't understand how I feel. He's popular and I'm not. God, I'm starting to whine like Fred too. This is worse then bad.

"Let's go get some food. I'm starving." He grabs my hand and brings me back inside. Breakfast sounds nice right about now. Even though I'm wearing an over-sized sweatshirt, I still tag along. It's still no beauty pageant. I just feel dumb because the other girls are going to look so much better then me. As always.

The rest of the team are already up, gathered outside the restaurant. I don't see Anthony. But I'm not supposed to either. Instead I search for Fred, because he loves me for real. Portman lets go of me and walks over to Fulton. It's easy to see that they are really in love. I wonder if Fred and I come off as a happy couple who loves each other? I hope we do.

"Hey, you never came back," Fred announces, putting his arms around my waist. 

"I was just talking to Portman. I forgot about the time."

"You didn't fight with him, did you?"

"No. But he refuses to stop calling me Psycho. But everyone seems to call me that now."

Fred growls quietly. "As long as they don't start calling me Bonnie, I'm glad. Let's get some food, kid."

What's with people? Can't they call me by my real name? "I'm not really a psycho, am I?"

"No, definitely not," Fred quickly says. Then he snickers. I wait for him to explain his giggling. "Just... 'They say she's a psycho'..."

I catch on. "...'hey, if that's true'..."

"...'does that mean I'm psycho too?'"

The others are staring at us, so we probably said that quite loud. Let them stare, I don't care. I belong with Fred in so many ways. Nothing will ever change that.

Breakfast is waiting, and Ken of course cuts in line to get his beloved food. Lex is plastered to Charlie's side, but she still has time to smile at me, even though I don't deserve it. And then we eat.

One thing's for sure: I'm never cutting my hair ever again.

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Lyrics borrowed:  
'Psycho' –Jamie Meyer


	35. Monster Goodbye, Monster Mess, Monster C...

Been a while, eh? Well, writer's block and business have contributed to that. Story's almost done. We'll be there soon, there are only a few chapters left. It might just take us a while to post them. Anyway, happy reading! –Kristine and Cimmy

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**Chapter 35: Monster Goodbye, Monster Mess, Monster Coaster  
By Cimmy and NYgoldfish54**

**Chris's POV**

We all gather in the lobby, despite the early hour. It's only 8.15, and honestly, I'm just here because Anthony forced me out of bed. Just because he has a crush on that freaky nut-case doesn't mean that I have to be thrilled about being up this early.

The whole team is there too, of course. I walk down together with Sammie, Anna, Matt and Anthony. Jeff and Lex have already joined the Ducks, and we feel a bit misplaced, since we're not part of the team. Although we all feel obligated to say goodbye to the two feuding love-birds, since we probably won't see them again…not that it's not a completely bad 

Charlie is very hyper today, skipping around like a maniac, trying to help out with everything in sight. When Cecilia shows up from the restaurant, he dives right at her.

"Are there anymore luggage?" he wonders, spinning around like a dog chasing its own tail. There are three bags on the floor, and I'm pretty sure that they aren't that heavy.

"No, it's okay," Cecilia answers with a smile. "Thank you anyway. Why are you blinking so fast?" Charlie shrugs and Adam has to hold him back while Cecilia picks up one of the bags from the floor, to avoid Charlie from knocking her over with excitement. Is he happy because they're leaving, or upset because they can't stay?

Fred also shows up, and he takes the other two bags. "Are you ready?" he asks Cecilia, nodding towards the bag she carries. "You want me to take that?"

"Nah, I'm doing fine, thanks."

I'm beginning to get bored with all of this. Is it because of the time, or is this conversation really boring? Luckily, Charlie cuts them off. "So, you're really leaving, huh?"

"Yeah, I've done my share of mayhem around here," Cecilia laughs. "Don't you think?" She smiles at Lex, and Lex grins back, giving her a hug. I'm glad they're friends again.

"I was fine with it, as long as I wasn't the one paying for the destruction," Charlie replies, also laughing. "Where are you taking off anyway?"

Fred looks up with a smug smile. "Well, I figured that I could just as well follow my Dad's order in the Caribbean, now when he's so eager to get me the hell away from here. I can do the same amount of nothing there, as I can do in Washington."

"You're a real hell raiser, aren't you?" Portman snickers. "Your Dad wants you to go to Washington, and you elope to the Caribbean instead? Oooh, call the CPS."

"I'm not eloping," Fred points out. "He won't know where I'm spending my paid vacation, as long as I'm not here. He's got a real problem with me being content, somehow."

"Does he know you're bringing Psycho?" Russ asks.

"What he won't know, won't kill him," Fred grins. "I can't just leave her, can I? Besides, what harm can she do?"

Eh, I can mention at least ten things without thinking at all. The rest of them snort and laugh, making Cecilia throw her hands into the air. "Hello? I wasn't _that _bad!"

"Let's see, like 75 percent of the time you were either drunk, high or pissed," Charlie shakes his head. "I'm not saying that you were the only bad apple among us, but you were definitely one of the worse."

"Bad apple?" Adam smiles.

"What? I'm hungry!" Charlie exclaims. Then he turns back to Cecilia. "But you were entertaining, I have to give you that, kid. Don't get into trouble down in the Caribbean now."

"I've never been there!" she cheers and gives Charlie a hug. "But I'll miss you guys."

"Oh, tornado Cecilia is about to terrorize the Caribbean Sea. Go blow them away. Oh, right, you don't give head," Portman howls, jumping out of the way of Cecilia's foot. "Don't kick, that's beneath you."

Fred points to the door. "I'll go pack this into the car. Come out when you're done," he says, kissing Cecilia quickly on the cheek. "And the rest of you; don't cause hell while I'm gone."

Connie skips up to him and gives him a hug, so he has to stop to avoid dropping the bags. "When are you coming back?" she wants to know.

Fred shrugs, obviously not quite sure of the answer. "When school starts again, probably not any sooner."

"That's almost a whole month away!" Connie whimpers, while being torn away by Guy. "Are you gonna call me?"

"It sounds like he just dumped you," Guy points out. "You're very needy." They all begin to talk at once, their murmuring makes my head spin. When I think about it, it sounds a lot like quacking. This must be why they're called the Ducks.

Lex also gives Fred a hug, without receiving any angry glares from Cecilia. "I'll call you," he promises, disregarding Connie's objections.

"What about me?" Cecilia smiles. "Are you gonna call me?"

"Nah, hell no. I'm stuck with you for the rest of the month. May I have some sympathy?" he teases her. She smiles and slugs his arm. "Or, you could keep abusing me, that's fine too."

They both walk over towards the doors, but Cecilia stops, whispers something in Fred's ear and waits for a respond. "Yeah, go do that. I'll just carry these bags out, I'll wait outside."

He disappears, while Cecilia lets go of her bag and walks over to us. She smiles at Sammie and Anna, so they walk up to her to say goodbye. I feel stupid, since I never really talked to her or got to know her.

"Go talk to her," I instruct Anthony, who's hiding behind me. "This is your last chance. You might never see her again." He seems to think over that statement for a while, but doesn't move.

"Anthony, come on. If you don't tell her now, she'll never know."

"Sounds like a plan," he mutters.

Matt and I exchange a look. He's usually not like this when it comes to a girl. What's wrong with him? "Do you really want to regret this for the rest of your life?" I exaggerate. He'll probably forget about her once he's out of high-school. Or college. Or next week. "Do you want to obsess about her and whimper every time someone mentions her name?"

"Nooo..." he says pointedly. "I'm just not going to do anything."

I look up, just to see that the object of Anthony's affection is right in front of us. "Hey," Matt says. "So, you're leaving? Is it inappropriate to say 'good riddance'?"

"Nah, I thought the same about you," she grins widely.

"Just kidding, of course," he says with a fake smile, even though I know that he's just teasing her. He extends his hand and pokes at one of her bruises. "Does that still hurt?"

Cecilia slaps his hand away from her chin and wrinkles her nose. "Yeah! Ouch!" Then she smiles, obviously not in that much pain anymore.

Matt really seems to be in the mood for teasing her, so he grins at her. "But I have to admit, you were pretty amusing."

"Thanks."

Anthony is still not moving, so I step up to her instead. "I guess this is it," I smile at her. "Unless we ever bump into each other in some distant future, but I don't know."

"Maybe," she replies. "I'd agree to that if I believed in destiny. But I don't, so I'll probably never see you again." This time she laughs, and hesitates for a second before she gives me a hug. "It was nice to meet you, Chris."

Anthony gives me a suspicious look when I let go of her, but he has himself to blame. He could've talked to her on his own, you know. "Lost chances," I whisper when I walk past him. "Last chance."

Last or lost chances don't matter, Anthony still won't move from the spot. Cecilia looks at him with a nervous and anxious expression in her eyes. "So, I guess I'll be going now," she mumbles when no one says anything. "Fred's waiting."

When her boyfriend's name is mentioned, Anthony straightens himself up. "Wait, Cecilia!" he exclaims and hurries up to her. She turns around, surprised but excited. "I have something to say."

"You do?" she smiles happily.

"I just want to say goodbye. I really had a good time with you, at the beach, and all the other days we hung out. I'll miss you," Anthony says quietly, while Matt and I try to wave at him to declare his feelings for her.

"I'll miss you too," Cecilia mumbles, looking sort of sad.

"Maybe I'll see you again. If I ever come to visit Lex and Jeff at Eden Hall or if you come to New York sometime."

"Really?" she brightens up.

"Yeah, sure. Consider that as some sort of invitation, okay?"

"Yeah," she grins, still looking nervous. "You can come to Minneapolis, that'd be great."

Cecilia gives him a hug too, and I try to come up with something smart to say to Anthony to make him express his feelings. God, he's annoying when he's like this. When he finally lets her go, she gives him another grateful smile, and then she releases his hand and walks back towards the door.

"For the love of God," Matt loses his short temper with Anthony. "You'll never see that girl again; could you just go for it?"

Anthony puts one hand over his mouth; my first thought is that he's going to smother himself. Then he makes a little jump, just so he can dash off in the next second. "Cecilia, wait!" he shouts, making her stop. "I really _do _have something to tell you!"

"What?" she asks, waiting for him to catch up. He stumbles into her, slips his arms around her waist, pressing his lips against hers. At first she gasps, but doesn't push him away. Instead she places her hands on his shoulders, returning the kiss. I see that everyone around them just stops dead, without moving or talking.

Anthony leans his head against hers, slowly pulling away. "I shouldn't have done that. I just don't want this to be one of those things I end up regretting every day for the rest of my life. I just wanted to say that I have feelings for you too. You have to go, Fred's waiting."

Cecilia stares at him with wide eyes. When she doesn't say anything, Anthony moves a little. "Don't tell your boyfriend about this," he whispers, still with his head against hers. She just nods, and then she takes a deep breath and pulls away. She doesn't look up when she walks past the Ducks, and she ignores Connie's questioning eyes.

Anthony gazes at her when she walks over to grab the bag again, and suddenly Fred comes back. I almost forgot about him. "Hey, are you coming?" he smiles at Cecilia, taking the bag away from her. "The car's waiting."

Cecilia nods without speaking, so he kisses her on the cheek and walks out through the first door. She spins around to look at Anthony one last time, before Fred turns around, takes her hand and leads her out through the front doors.

They disappear down the stairs, and Fred goes over to the driver's seat. I guess he's driving to the airport, even though he doesn't have a driver's license. It must be good to be rich. Cecilia opens the door on the other side, gazes up to us and looks for Anthony. The she gets into the car, and Fred drives off.

And I wonder. Will I ever see those two ever again?

***

**Fulton's POV**

Well, I'm relieved. Our two main trouble makers are gone, the car has just driven away, and the rest of us can enjoy one stress free day until we leave tomorrow.

Anthony is watching the car drive away, and Sammie puts a hand on his shoulder. Jeff, however, slugs his arm. "You shouldn't have done that, idiot."

"Yeah, I know," he sounds rather depressed.

"Then why'd you do it?" Jeff asks.

"I'm never going to see her again, Jeff, what does it matter?" he says irritably.

"I have to see them again. So does Lex. So do they," he nods back at us. "Are you trying to make things hard on us?"

"Get off my back, Jeff," Anthony snapped. "I'm going upstairs."

Chris threw Jeff a 'shut the hell up' look, and then followed Anthony. Matt rolled his eyes. 

I was going to go find Portman and maybe make-out, but I hadn't noticed until I turned around that there was a very angry looking man talking to Lex.

"Either clean it all up, or you'll have to pay!" the man said and stormed off. 

Lex made a groaning noise, then whined, "Guys, come here, guys…" 

"What's up?" Adam asks.

"We've got to clean up our floor or I'm paying a lot of money."

Goldberg, standing next to me, said, "And this effects us how?" I elbowed him. "Ouch," he whined. "Fine, fine, we'll help you clean up." 

Everyone sort of grumbled in agreement, and we went up to begin.

I surveyed mine and Portman's room. It wasn't too bad. Mostly just our stuff and empty bottles tossed around everywhere. 

"It's not too bad," Portman says, echoing my thoughts.

"Yeah, let's just fold some stuff and throw out some bottles and it'll be good," I decide out loud at start to fold some of my shirts.

"God, Fulton, do you own any shirts that aren't black or white?" Portman groans, watching me fold.

"Of course. I also have this bright yellow one," I hold up a bright yellow t-shirt, and Portman smirks.

"Dude, we need to get you some colored shirts that aren't bright yellow," he grins.

"Hey, leave me alone. You own a lot of black and a lot of leather jackets," I say.

"I have purple," Portman says. "I've outdone you," he says and I sniggered a little. "What?" he asks, looking surprised.

"Growing up, purple was always the flaming homosexual color," I laugh, thinking back to when I was about eleven. 

Averman was wearing this bright purple shirt with a rainbow on it, and Charlie burst out laughing to ask where he got it.

"I got in from an uncle who got it from a guy selling them at clubs," Averman had said.

"Was he gay?" Guy laughed. Everyone laughed, come to think of it.

"Might have been. How should I know?" Averman asked.

"That shirt... I'm telling you, flaming homosexual!" Charlie said and we all continued laughing. Averman never wore the shirt again, but it became known as, and I quote, "The Purple Flaming Homosexual Shirt."

I didn't know at the time I was gay, so I see no harm in laughing at the time. I still don't see any harm in it. I still laugh sometimes, mainly because nobody with any self respect –gay, straight or otherwise- would be caught dead wearing that shirt. And if you can't laugh at yourself, in good fun, who else can you laugh at?

Portman brought me back from my thoughts. "Last I checked, I was a flaming homosexual?" he grins.

"Yeah, I thought so too," I smile. "Unless it was all bullshit."

"Nah, you're one hot piece of ass, dude!" Portman laughs.

"Thanks, man, and you make my loins burn," I grin.

"People have loins?" he asks.

"Pigs do," I shrugged. "Why shouldn't people?"

"Point well taken."

I noticed that as we talked, we'd done all the cleaning we really had to do. I throw away the last two bottles, then say, "Let's go see how we can help the others."

Portman follows me down the hall to Kenny, Russ, and Goldberg's room. Or really, what's left of the room. The whole team plus the band is crammed into that suite, cleaning. And it's still a mess beyond my wildest dreams.

"Nice of you guys to show up," Julie says, wiping her forehead.

"Yeah, well, we had a lot of bottles to throw away," I smile, taking the trash bag she was holding. "What the hell has been happening in here?"

"We've been cleaning for half an hour, and I swear there's been no improvement," she sighed, and just then I heard Banksie yell, "Shit!"

"What's up?" Kenny asks, looking up.

"Cut my hand on a piece of glass…what the hell? There's a whole pile of it here! What the hell happened!?"

"Oh, uh, that was me and Goldberg's suitcase. I think," Portman said.

Lex, only as tall as Portman's bicep, whacked it with a bottle of cleaning spray. "What the hell did you do!?" she exclaims.

"I…don't remember," Portman said, rubbing his arm.

"Bullshit," Lex grins.

"I remember," Jeff says. "He was mad that he couldn't hang upside down, and he vented his frustrations by throwing Goldberg's suitcase at that glass vase."

"I did not!" Portman exclaims. "I threw it at the top of the closet, it bounced off, and hit the vase!"

"I thought you didn't remember what happened?" Lex laughs.

"I…uh…well…"

"Good job, Portman…EWWW!" Connie howls, emerging from behind a bed with some real treasures –including some sticky, fuzz covered lollipops and a half eaten chocolate bar- that went straight into the trash.

"How did you guys sleep in here?" Charlie asks, sounding amazed. He had just finished wrapping up Adam's bleeding hand with some gauze from who knows where.

Russ thinks deeply for a moment, then says, "You know, I don't think we slept."

"What did you do then?" Guy asks, while wiping God-knows-what off the wall.

"I think we passed out," Kenny sniggers. "We didn't care at that point."  
"Yeah well it's pretty damn gross now!" Sammie says, looking at some sticky stuff on the nightstand near the lamp.

"I agree," I said, cleaning up some…whatever this pink stuff is.

About an hour of hard work went by before the suite was cleaned. It's sort of amusing, actually. Chris left earlier to get changed into clean clothes. He was giving Matt a hard time, and as retaliation, Matt tossed him into a puddle of puke. Matt's pretty big.

"Yuck…glad that's over," Dwayne sighs with relief and slumps against a wall.

"Yeah," Russ agrees, "So what should we do now?"

"ORGY!" Averman yells bouncing up and down. The rest of us stare at him. "Or not," he says.

"Uh…any other suggestions?" Russ asks the rest of us.

"Well, we could go back to one of the parks or something," Goldberg suggests. Connie suddenly starts that bouncy thing again that she does so well.

"Let's go!" she howls, tugging on Guy's arm. "It'll be fun! We haven't been to Sea World yet, and they have a _monster_ coaster there! Biggest one in Florida, I think! Can we go, please, Guy, please?" she yowls at Guy like it's his decision completely.

Guy doesn't look like he knows what to do, but Portman answers Connie instead. "Yeah, let's go. Monster coasters and dolphins! It'll be great!"

"Sounds good to me," Sammie decides, jumping onto Matt's back. They both go toppling to the floor.

"What the hell are you trying to do!?" Matt yells. Sammie just laughs hysterically, then looks at me and says, "Hey, Fulton, will you ride the coaster with me?"

"Sure, why not?" I say.

"Well," Charlie says, "let's get going, we have to be back at a normal hour cause our plane home leaves at ten tomorrow morning."

"Lex, you want to ride with me?" Jeff asks. 

"Yeah…but I want to change first and maybe shower or something…can we leave in about an hour?" Lex looks at Charlie.

Charlie looks like he's going to say no, but looks at Lex again and decides against it. "Yeah, in an hour we'll meet up in the lobby," he says.

We go towards our separate rooms. Portman slams the door shut to ours and flops on his bead, trembling with excitement.

"Monster coaster," he mutters excitedly. "Fast, speed," he twitches again.

"Glad to be going, I see," I grin.

"Thrilled," he answers.

"Well, we've got an hour to kill. I think I'll take a shower," I say.

"No, I want first shower," he says, standing up.

I make a break for the bathroom, but he trips me up and sends me flying.

We end up deciding to wrestle for the first shower. I think we're crazy…crazy in love. 

Oh, and I won.


	36. Dolphin Attack

Been a while, eh? Well, we've actually had this chapter done for a long time. I was going to add to it, but I have a pretty bad case of writer's block (which, actually may be getting better as of three days ago) and so we're just putting this chapter up without my adding to it. So as far as this chapter goes, cheers, Cimmy wrote it. Isn't she brilliant? By the way, the rollercoaster mentioned in this chapter is real. I've been on it. It's _awesome. _Hit the review button when you're done!

---------

**Chapter 36: Dolphin Attack  
By Cimmy  
****  
Goldberg's POV**  
  
It's almost lunch time before we reach the entrance to Sea World. Charlie is, of course, furious over the fact that we didn't arrive at the _exact_ time he wanted us to, so he's no fun. Adam and Averman are deliberately pushing the limits of Charlie's temper, by finding out new, inventive ways to kick dirt at Charlie's shoes.  
  
Before any kind of scolding from our dear captain occurs, Connie starts a new cheerful rant, this time about the magical wonder that is Sea World. "We _need_ to go see the baby whale, don't we?" she asks in a demanding sort of way. "It's _so_ cute."  
  
"_It_ is so cute? Whales don't have genders?" Averman snorts. "Honestly, Con, could you be _any_ more insensitive? Whales are as human as we are."  
  
Obviously, this comment is directed to the stuck-up mind of Charlie's. "A whale is a fish, _not_ a human!" Charlie roars, finally fed-up with the nonsense. "You are all so impossible! I could strangle each and every one of you! Shut up, now, so I can decide where to go."  
  
"Oh, we gotta see the sharks," Portman exclaims happily. "And monster coasters! Oh, oh, oh, I have an idea…!"  
  
"Don't tell me," Charlie croaks sourly. Portman is inches away from telling all about his idea, when Charlie interrupts. "No, seriously, don't tell me."  
  
"He wants to go on the monster coaster," Connie points out, just to be helpful. She's licking on a strawberry lollipop and looks more innocent than ever. Great, more sugar in her little body, that's just what we need. "Isn't that right, Portman?"  
  
"As a matter of fact…"  
  
"Of course that's what he was gonna say!" Charlie explodes, turning around so unexpectedly that Adam trips over him and falls. With a voice of forced calm, Charlie continues. "Why are you always making life so hard for me?"  
  
Portman shrugs, ready to answer the question, but Fulton manages to stop him in time. Unfortunately, no one is looking after Adam at this point. "Because it's just too damn hard to leave you alone. Not to mention how funny it is when you fume with rage. Kind of like you are now, actually."  
  
The sensible people in our crowd decide that it's soon enough to break our upcoming argument off. "You guys, if we stand here arguing about arguing, we're never gonna see anything at all of the park," Julie says tiredly. "Now, who said anything about a shark?"  
  
"I rather not go near a shark," Lex objects. Wow, I almost forgot that there were other people here, too! "Nasty looking creatures."  
  
"Well, I _need_ to see a shark," Portman spits in her direction. "If you're a coward, don't see one."  
  
"Maybe she's just scared," Charlie muttered back. "If she doesn't want to go… Don't you remember the last time you forced someone to do something she didn't wanna do? How did that turn out?"  
  
Portman stares into the ground, sulking. "At the Mickey Mouse hospital," he growls quietly.  
  
"We don't have to stay together," Fulton adds. "Let's divide ourselves into shark and non-shark groups."  
  
"Divide? Isn't that like… Math?" Averman ponders, intentionally driving Charlie mad.  
  
"Where do you want to go, Lex?" Charlie asks as nicely as he can, ignoring Averman, and all the rest of us too.  
  
"Penguins, maybe?" she asks. "It doesn't matter; I can go with you, but I'm not too eager about seeing the sharks."  
  
"I don't need to see the sharks either…" Charlie begins, but is, of course, interrupted.  
  
"You _don't_ want to see a shark?!" Portman yells with a high-pierced voice. "They are just _too_ cool!"  
  
Another big, ridiculous conversation springs to life. "Maybe you can let _me_ decide whether or not I want see the sharks?" Charlie says. "Ken, stop mentioning Shamu, I _know_ he lives here!"  
  
I tap Luis on the shoulder. "Maybe we should just leave and investigate the area on our own?" I suggest.  
  
Before Luis has a chance to answer, Lex does. "That sounds like a splendid idea. Let's leave these morons to sort things out on their own, huh?"  
  
So, while half of the group continues to block the way in front of the entrance for the rest of the visitors, the other half of us sneak away. All the members of the band have chosen to go with the non-bickering group, which would be us. "Is it always like this?" Anna wonders. "Do you always fight at every public place you go to?"  
  
"You don't?" Luis replies, smiling a bit, probably still reminded by the band's behavior at the award ceremony. "But, yeah, basically this is normal for us."  
  
When Luis and I leave the other Ducks, Averman – probably tagging Anna – follows suit, along with Adam and Julie. Dwayne is already as attached to Sammie as he could possibly be without being _actually_ attached to her. "I would like to see the baby whale, too," Julie says. "Do we have time for that?"  
  
"Pfff, now when we've left the overbearing, domineering, tyrannical captain behind?" Adam snorts. "Without his crazy schedule and 'suggested breaks', we have all day."  
  
"Why does he keep schedules over everything?" Sammie asks.  
  
"Because he's born with the amazing talent of being able to suck the life out of every fun situation there ever was?" Adam suggests. "I'm surprised we haven't revolted against him sooner."  
  
"Like, an ambush or something?" Julie giggles. "That would only make him angrier."  
  
"I don't think that's possible, actually," Adam laughs. "He's pretty angry as it is."  
  
"Hey, give him a break," Lex says. "He's had a hard time this week."  
  
"He could've had a great time just like the rest of us if he'd only stop bossing us around," Adam sighs. "He really _does_ suck the fun out of everything."  
  
"Or, maybe you're being too hopeless for him to handle, and that makes him frustrated and even grumpier?" Lex suggests pointedly. "Nobody likes to be the one in charge when everything goes to hell."  
  
"Nothing has gone to hell that we haven't been able to solve," Julie points out. "It's our last day here; let's not start _yet_ another fight, shall we?"  
  
"Sounds like a fabulous idea, Jules, but we're the Ducks. Fighting is what we do," Luis smiles.  
  
"I thought ducks just… peck on each other," Chris finally says. "But that seems accurate as well."  
  
We walk by the Tropical Reef and the Turtle Point, and after a while, Portman joins our party. "Got tired of harassing Charlie?" Lex asks dryly.  
  
"No, that never grows old," Portman grins widely. "Actually…"  
  
It's the first time since school ended that he's stopped talking in the middle of a sentence, just so he can _think_. I don't know what sort of thoughts his mind is considering, but he looks weird when he's thinking. "Anything wrong there, Portman?" Julie smiles. "You seem distracted."  
  
"He might be using his brain. For something. Thinking maybe?" Luis teases. "Nah…"  
  
"Oh, shut up," Portman mutters. "I was just considering doing something nice, but now I won't, since you're being so mean about it. Cool, turtles! Can we look at 'em?"  
  
"Since when does he do nice things without getting something out of it for his own winning?" Julie whispers to me. "You don't think he's up to something, do you?"  
  
"At Sea World? What could he possibly be planning at a zoo for fish?" I ask.  
  
"Well, he _did_ ruin Disney World for some of the members of the team," she adds. "And he's been looking at us weirdly ever since this morning, at breakfast."  
  
"No, he's been looking at _the band_ weirdly, not at us."  
  
"Maybe he's having the emotion of gratitude for the first time in his life?" she suggests. "After all, it's thanks to them we're here."  
  
"Portman doesn't think that far ahead. He's enormously unknowing about most things unless they occur at the exact time as he thinks of them."  
  
We don't have time to figure out Portman's intentions, because we have to pay close attention to the 'adorable turtles' so they won't snap off anyone's finger.  
  
Much to Portman's dismay, the next stop is the penguins' area. "I would _much_ rather see a shark."  
  
"You _are_ a shark. Behave well now," Julie says. "We wouldn't want to lose you on the way."  
  
The penguins were nice – in the way that they didn't attack us – and after watching them play around, we all need something to eat, since lunch time has come and went while we were ogling at the animals. Or were they fishes? I just must ask Charlie when I see him.  
  
Portman has been awfully quiet all through our lunch break, seemingly debating with himself over something. I thought he would be the happiest one of us all now when the person he's been most irritated with has left.  
  
Well, whatever he was thinking about quickly disappears the minute the monster coaster is brought up in conversation. We all walk towards Kraken, the big roller coaster at the far end of the park. Suddenly Portman pushes his way through us, so he can get up to Jeff, Lex, Anthony and Julie who are all walking a few steps in front of Luis and I. "Hey, you…" Portman says, and then falls quiet, as if he can't remember the name of the person he's talking to. "…dude?"  
  
All of us turn towards him to look, since he could be referring to just about anyone of us. "Uhm… Yeah?" Lex tries, in case she's the target.  
  
"Not you," Portman rolls his eyes. "Him…"  
  
"We still don't have a clue who you're talking to," Julie points out. "My name is _Julie_, by the way."  
  
Portman scowls. "I _know_." Instead of letting our remarks get to him, he turns to Anthony. "You. I have something for you."  
  
"What?" Anthony laughs. "Why would you have something for _me_?"  
  
Portman shrugs and it doesn't seem like he knows at all why he opened his mouth in the first place. "I don't know."  
  
"Okay…" Anthony says slowly. "Uhm… Was that all you wanted?"  
  
"His name's Anthony," Julie announces. "For heaven's sake, we've spent over a week with these people."  
  
"Just forgot. Anyway, I just thought you might want to have this," Portman explained easily, putting his hand into his pocket to pull out an envelope, which he hands to Anthony.  
  
Averman raises his eyebrows. "You know, I could make so many jokes around the subject of Portman – postman right now, but I simply just don't want to. Do you think I might be sick?"  
  
"It's probably a deadly disease," Julie shrugs. "Nothing to worry about."  
  
Lex stands on her toes so she can get a glimpse of the letter. All that is written on the back is the name Anthony, which isn't much of a surprise. I do vaguely remember the handwriting, though. And then it hits me; I've spent hours and hours copying that handwriting during our very dull Spanish lessons.  
  
Jeff also takes a look at the letter, hinting that he recognizes the handwriting, too, before Anthony rips it open and turns away so he can read it without us staring at him.  
  
"Aww, Portman, did you do something nice for a change?" Julie smiles. "Where did you get that?"  
  
"Breakfast," he says just as easily as before. "So, do I get a reward or something?"  
  
"For handing out letters?" Julie asks.  
  
"Yeah, I've heard people get rewards when they do nice things," Portman nods. "Is that true?"  
  
"You might never find out," Luis says with fake sympathy. "The sooner we get to that Klonker thing, the better."  
  
"It's _Kraken_," Portman exclaims. "Is it so hard to remember a name? Where's Averman?"  
  
I nod my head in the direction of Averman and Anna, who have been walking in front of us the entire time together with Sammie and Matt. "Where else?"  
  
"Oh, yeah… He's with…" Complete silence follows Portman's sentence again. "That girl. Brown-eyed girl."  
  
"That would be her full name, yeah," Lex shakes her head.  
  
"Seriously, Portman, you should try harder learning people's name," Julie suggests. "If you can remember a monster coaster, you should be able to remember your friends."  
  
Just mentioning the monster coaster makes Portman's eyes lit up, and he immediately forgets all about names – and the world.  
  
"Maybe we should go find that compulsive law enforcer…" Adam mutters, clearly speaking about Charlie.  
  
Portman finds this too disturbing to be able to not comment about. "I thought _I_ was the enforcer!" he bawls.  
  
"On the ice, yeah," I say. "Do you _see_ any ice?"  
  
Portman sulks again, until he comes up with the clever idea of visiting the polar bears. "I bet _they_ have ice!"  
  
Julie wants to wait for the rest to catch up with us before we change any plans. Anthony is still standing on the same spot where we left him, without listening to Lex's demands to move along. Jeff rolls his eyes, uninterested to say the least. He walks up to Julie and slips his arm around her waist. "You gave him that letter on purpose, didn't ya?" Jeff says to Portman. "Just so things would take twice as long as it should. We could just as well walk backwards in this pace."  
  
"Hey, I didn't cause all this," Portman objects. "He was the one who kissed the wrong girl."  
  
"Actually, I think he kissed the right one," Luis says. "Wouldn't it be embarrassing if he'd kissed the _wrong_ girl?"  
  
"Leave him alone," Lex begs. "He's broken-hearted now."  
  
"He doesn't _look_ broken-hearted," Julie smiles, amused. I turn to look at Anthony, who doesn't seem too discontent with anything at all for the moment. He takes one last glimpse at the letter, folds it together and puts it in his jacket pocket. "Is that the face of a broken-hearted guy?"  
  
"Maybe he's in denial?" I suggest.  
  
"Or maybe…" Lex mumbles.  
  
"What?" Julie coaxes when she never finishes her line. "Maybe what?"  
  
"Maybe he got good news?"  
  
"Yeah, probably. But still…"  
  
Jeff and Lex leaves us again, joining up with Anthony. "So, what did ya get there?" Lex asks curiously.  
  
"Not now," he mutters, but looks just as happy nonetheless. "I'll tell later, okay?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I have a question!" Portman suddenly howls, making us all jump with surprise. "_Why_ aren't we walking towards the polar dudes?"  
  
"Portman, please, you've been asking about the monster coaster all day!" Julie whines. "We can go look at the fussy white bears later. I promise; the ice won't melt while we're on the coaster."  
  
It didn't, luckily, otherwise Portman would've complained more than ever. We did have time to see the polar bears _and_ find the rest of the team before we had to go home.  
  
Connie is bouncier than ever when we meet her. She's automatically chattering about the dolphins she saw and the 'awesome' baby killer whale she socialized with earlier. Portman and she gets into a conversation about sharks, and they're now lost forever.  
  
Ken has a new verse to his beloved bus song he's tortured us with all week long. The song now contains turtles, dolphins and killer whales. That little guy never stops to amaze me. To Charlie's vexation – yes, he was found too – Connie and Ken team up and sing the song together.  
  
"Who had a great day today?" Adam asks us when we're all gathered at the entrance again. "Well, aside from you, Charlie, you don't count."  
  
"Why?" Charlie mutters.  
  
"Because you bring our mood down. Honestly, have you ruined your own day _just_ because we weren't exactly on time when we were supposed to leave?"  
  
"Actually, I had a great day, too. Not thanks to you, of course."  
  
"Of course," Adam grins. "Aww, I just _knew_ we would all be friends before this day was over!"  
  
Charlie can't help but laugh with the rest of us. "Fine, we all had a wonderful day. Can we leave now?"  
  
"Yay, the bus!" Ken cheers. "C'mon, Con, we have to get good seats!"  
  
Connie follows him out of the park, finishing her ice-cream as quickly as she can. Just before she steps on the bus, she stops and leans down to pick something up from the ground. Charlie, who's walking right behind her, wrinkles his nose. "Bad Connie, don't pick up garbage from the ground."  
  
"It's a bug," she says jovially, like she hasn't ever seen a bug before. "I just wanted to save it from being smashed by all of you. Oh, it's one of those bugs Fred hates. Remember during study hall, when that bug crawled up into his book? He was scared."  
  
"Fred hates all bugs," Charlie sighs. "Could you step onto the bus now, please?"  
  
"Really? All bugs?" Anthony speaks up, thrilled by this newfound information. "Can I look at that bug again?"  
  
Lex pulls his arm in the other direction. "Don't worry, there are bugs back home, too. There's no need to import them. You can find them and chase them all you want later."  
  
With that in mind, Anthony reluctantly gives up the thought of the bug for now. "Still… Good to know," he mumbles to himself.  
  
"Why do I have a mental image of Fred being attacked by an army of bugs the next time he meets Anthony?" Julie says under her breath. We all snicker to this amusing thought. "Should we warn him?"  
  
"Nah, but I think we should purchase a video camera for this very occasion," Portman says evilly. "After all, he _did_ yell at me an awful lot before he left."  
  
"You totally deserved that," Fulton snorts. "By the way, this letter hand-out wasn't part of some retaliation on him, was it?"  
  
"What?" Portman laughs, trying to sound as innocent as he can. "Me? Retaliation?"  
  
"It means payback," Julie announces.  
  
"I _know_ what it means, thank you very much," Portman growls. "And I don't sink to that level."  
  
"So, you have _no_ idea what was in that letter, then?" Adam asks.  
  
"Not at all," Portman replies, his eyes wide with excitement. "I don't know anything at all."  
  
"Well, we all knew _that_ already," Julie mutters, disappearing inside the bus. Adam throws a suspicious glimpse at Anthony before he goes in after her. Finally, I can get in too.  
  
"I don't understand what the fuss is all about," I hear Dwayne say. "It's just a letter!"  
  
"Sometimes letters disrupt the way of life, Dwayne," Russ says.  
  
"So, what you say is that letters sometimes make people go all psycho?"  
  
Portman snorts out a laughter. "You don't know half of it, and still you're closer than you think," he smiles, before taking a seat.  
  
Connie elbows me in the side. "Why would she give a letter to Portman?"  
  
"Why does the sun shine?"  
  
"Well, millions of years ago…" she starts.  
  
"It was a rhetorical question, dimwit," I roll my eyes. "Point is, sometimes there are no reasonable explanations for why things happen."  
  
"But I do know why the sun shines," Connie explains proudly, with a very perky voice. And then she tells me all about it, despite my begging for the opposite. Silence, when was the last time I experienced that?  
  
Charlie orders us to bed _immediately_ when we get back to the hotel. He doesn't care that it's only 8:30. Jackass.  
  
Sleeping isn't much fun, we realize. The room has a weird smell of barf and soft soap. Russ refuses to stay in our room. "You know what?" Ken mumbles excitedly.  
  
"If you breathe one word about a bus or a fish of any sort, I'll make sure you never see the sun again," Russ mutters.  
  
"No, that's not what I was gonna say," Ken grimaces. "The room right opposite to us is free now. We can sleep there."  
  
"I gotta hand it to you, Wu, sometimes you really are indispensable," I praise him. "Let's go there, then."  
  
Ken sticks his head out the door to check if anyone's in the hallway. "No one around, guys, I think we're free to..."  
  
I exchange a look with Russ when Ken gets quiet. "Free to what?" I ask, but Ken kicks me as answer. "Ouch!"  
  
"Hi, Ms. Moreau," Ken says. "Lovely night, isn't it?"  
  
Connie shoves him back into our room and enters. "Why are you sneaking around?" she asks.  
  
"Because we… were… looking… for… something… to…"  
  
"Make up some lame excuse quicker, boys," Connie demands. "I don't have all night. Are you spying on someone? Are you spying on _me_?"  
  
"No," Ken mumbles. "If we tell you, promise not to spread the word?"  
  
"I… will try my best," Connie promises.  
  
"I guess that's good enough," Ken shrugs, looking at us. "We're doing a take over."  
  
"Of what?" Connie's eyes widen.  
  
"Room 118."  
  
Connie wrinkles her nose. "Why?" she asks, uninterested.  
  
"Because this place smells like puke and old dog shit," Russ complains. "Move, woman. That room is ours."  
  
"Is it a suite?" Connie asks.  
  
"Does it matter?"  
  
"Maybe I want the room," she ponders, biting her lip. "Maybe I want to sleep there tonight. Maybe I _will_ sleep there tonight."  
  
"Or maybe we'll slug you into a mess if you go anywhere near that room."  
  
"You can't take me on," she snorts. "I'm much stronger than you."  
  
"You're not…"  
  
"And if you go near me, I'll tell Charlie. He'll take my side."  
  
"Why did we tell her about our plan?" Russ asks me. I point at Kenny, because it _was_ his idea from the start. "You're dead, Wu."  
  
"And you can't tell Charlie," I say to Connie. "If you do, he'll take the room himself and spend the night with Lex there."  
  
Connie takes a moment to think this over. She mumbles under her breath, and seems to be considering all possibilities of the matter. Or maybe she's acting, just so we'll be more impatient than ever, because it's working like a charm. Finally she stops looking thoughtful, and wanders around my bed and then back again.  
  
We watch her stroll around us, until it becomes too annoying to take. "Bloody hell, Connie, say something!" Russ exclaims.  
  
"Twenty bucks. And all the candy you have. And… Buy me something pretty tomorrow at the airport," she demands with a resolute tone in her voice. It doesn't help no matter how much we glare at her; she won't leave until we agree.  
  
"That little brat tricked us," I mutter when we're finally able to move over to the room we wanted all along. "She didn't want the room, she wanted stuff. And money."  
  
"And she got it, too."  
  
At least our new room doesn't smell bad. No barf, no soft soap, no dog shitty smell. But I'm all out of candy, and I owe Connie five dollars.  
  
Lovely.


	37. Homeward Bound

Well, guys, after a whole year, we are finally uploading the last chapter of this story. I am terribly sorry for the delay, as it was mostly my fault. But yes, _It's Summer in My Heart_ is now complete. All good things must come to an end, and this story is finally clocking out. I wish I could say it was something spectacular after nearly a year, but it's nothing spectacular. It's just the final chapter. Two summers ago, when we had first started this story, we'd planned to do sequels. We're not sure that will happen now, but you never know.

I'd just like to add that working with Cimmy has been one of the highlights of the last two years, and I love her lots. She's a good writer and a very good friend.

Feel free to review, but even if you don't, enjoy the last chapter. -Kristine and Cimmy

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**Chapter 37: Homeward Bound  
By NYgoldfish54**

**Charlie's POV**

Getting everyone out the door this morning was a bitch. I had packed the night before, as had Banksie, but apparently nobody else had planned as well as we did.

"Why are you yelling and banging on the door, Charlie?" Connie had whined at me, rubbing sleep fog from her eyes.

"Why am I yelling? Because we have to be out of here in an hour and a half and nobody's packed yet! Hell, nobody's AWAKE!" I hollered.

After banging on everyone's door, I walked downstairs to the front desk where Lex was looking over something. Reading over her shoulder, I nearly passed out when I saw how much our rooms and liquor and everything we broke cost.

"Lex," I said quietly into her ear, "That's _a lot_ of money."

She jumped about a foot in the air. "Charlie!" she half shrieked in a very high voice that was hardly her own, "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," I apologized.

"It _is_ a lot of money. But a lot of it's covered by the people who run this thing. I just have to pay for the broken stuff and the liquor which we weren't supposed to have," she said, her voice returning to normal.

Doing the math, I realized that just the broken stuff and the liquor came to about twenty five hundred dollars.

"Do you have that much?" I asked her.

She grinned and flashed a blue Visa card with the name "Tom O'Leary" on the front in silver letters. "Damn straight I got it," she smiled.

"Nice," I said back to her.

"Isn't it? Nothing like getting back at your father for being a bastard by stealing his money," she grinned.

"You have that much, though? Are you sure?" I ask. I knew she could afford it, but wasn't sure it was really a good idea.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Dad doesn't even know it's gone. Plus, Mom does the bills," she nods and looks past me, and in a quiet, more distant voice, she says, "My mom's a good sport about this kind of thing."

That's when Banks appeared at the top of the stairs with everyone else behind him, packed and ready to go. This must have been when Lex slipped away, but I didn't notice. I was too busy staring in awe at my teammates. I couldn't believe it. I was sure nobody would be ready and we'd miss our flight.

"Well, everyone's ready and accounted for, Captain," Banks saluted me at the top of the stairs, and carrying his own duffel bag, led my team down after him.

"How'd you do this?" I asked Banks as our teammates wandered into the dining hall for their last breakfast in Florida.

"A little sensitivity goes a long way, Charlie," he grinned.

"What?" I asked him, completely confused.

"Offer aspirin to people with hangovers rather than banging on their doors and shouting," he grinned again.

"Oh screw off," I answered him.

"You have such a winning personality, Charlie, you really do," he smirked. I rolled my eyes at him, and he laughed. "I'm going for breakfast," he said finally. "Coming?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

Miraculously, in spite of our messing around at breakfast, we made it to the airport on time. We didn't miss our flight, and nobody got wet this time around.

Lex, Jeff, Anna, Matt, Sammie, Chris, and Anthony had accompanied us to the airport and thanked us all for coming. Everyone said their goodbyes. Jeff kissed Julie, Averman kissed Anna, and Dwayne kissed Sammie. I couldn't help noticing that Matt looked slightly furious at this. But oh well. I'm just going to hope that Matt and Dwayne never see each other again. I don't think Dwayne would stand a chance.

I stepped closer to Lex. "Thanks for the great time," I smiled at her.

"You bet," she said, kissing my cheek.

"When are you all leaving?" I asked, indicating to the band.

"The day after tomorrow," she said.

"Are you going to New York or Minneapolis?" I asked her.

"New York. My brother Steve is getting married next month. I won't be back in Minnesota 'til September," she explained. I must have looked a little bummed, because she smiled brightly and said, "Don't mope, Charlie. It'll go faster than you think. Get wrapped up in hockey, and it'll be September before you know it."

I smiled at her. "See you in September," I smiled, kissed Lex one last time on the lips, and began to follow my friends onto the plane. I chuckled to myself as I walked away and heard her friends whistling at her and teasing her. When I looked back she was laughing with them, and she waved at me until after I had turned the corner and could no longer see her.

And now, after a very quiet flight considering it was us, everyone else has gone home, and I'm in a cab on my way back to my house.

As the cab drops me off in front of my home and as I carry my bags towards the front door, it opens. My mother is standing there with smile on her face. When I reach her, I put down my bag and she hugs me.

"You didn't call me for a week!" she says somewhat indignantly after she lets me out of her embrace.

"It was long distance," I explain to her.

"Charlie!"

"Sorry, Mom, I forgot," I grin a little and all seems forgiven.

"So did you have a good time?" she asks.

I think back on everything. A lot happened. It was definitely an interesting week. I had a lot of fun, in spite of everything that went on. It was a lot of stuff, really. It was lots of new experiences and I possibly have a new girlfriend. This new possible girlfriend and her friends won the chance of a lifetime for what they do. They were so happy that you couldn't help be happy for them. So the Bash Brothers are now openly gay. So Averman and Dwayne are now going to try their hand at long distance relationships. So I slept with Lex. So Lex's brother wants to kill me. So Cee and Lex nearly killed each other in a fight over Fred. So Fred and Cee are now lost somewhere in the Caribbean. It all turned out okay anyway.

Yeah, it wasn't a bad week, really. There was a lot of good, and the bad stuff could have been a lot worse. For example, somebody could be dead.

"Charlie?"

"Yeah Mom?"  
"Did you have a good time?" she repeats the question. I was thinking and forgot to answer. Heh. Oops.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I was thinking about it, and yes, I had a really good time."

"Did you stay out of trouble?"

"There was no trouble, exactly-" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Charlie!"

"No, I mean it! There were a few minor incidents but that was it," I say quickly before she assumed the worst.

"Like what?" she demands.

"Like Lex and Cee fell into a pastry cart," I say, grinning sheepishly.

"I see," my mother says seriously, but a smile is playing on her lips, threatening to give away her amusement. "How'd that happen?"

"Well-" I could tell her the whole story. I could. "I'm not really sure what they were doing at the time, but there was a loud crash and we looked up, they were covered in pastry cream."

But I won't.

She giggles a little and then says, "What about you, young man? No sex, alcohol, or drugs, right?"

I look at her, and for a moment, I think she's nailed me. But she hasn't. She's seriously asking me this question. Well, Ma, you're batting 1 for 3. I did absolutely no drugs.

"That's right Ma. No sex, alcohol, or drugs," I smile.

"That my boy," she smiles and kisses my cheek. She begins talking about dinner and what's been happening while I was away, and I feel a little guilty for lying to her as she rushes around making me a grilled cheese sandwich.

It's for her own good though, I think, as she starts telling me about a bar fight at the place where she has a job bartending three nights a week. Yes, definitely better she doesn't know, I decide, as she starts listing the negative effects of alcohol. It's really better that she doesn't know exactly what went on during this past week. She's happy thinking I was an angel.

What she doesn't know won't hurt her…and well, it won't hurt me, either.


End file.
